


The Fuse Keeps Burning

by TemperateWriting



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Canon Divergence, DreamSMP - Freeform, Familiars AU, Gen, Have to see what the future holds, Its all platonic u sickos, Manberg, Many AUs overtime as the author can’t stay focused on a single concept, Maybe fluff/comfort?, Pogtopia, Temporary Character Death, Wings AU, more tags tba, timeloop AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 43
Words: 26,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26989276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TemperateWriting/pseuds/TemperateWriting
Summary: “Wilbur, Please. This isn’t right.”No matter how many times Tommy says those lines, no matter how many universes he seems to travel to, he always ends up to the same bed, on the same day. What the fuck is he doing wrong?==o==Timeloop fic where every time Tommy dies, he wakes up in a new, alternate universe. Takes place where Wilbur loses his shit and wants to blow up Manberg.Since this fic was started before the festival, this all centers around the festival. Little to no references from beyond that will appear within this fic..Yet.Shorter chapters, more frequent updates? Depends on motivation.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 541
Kudos: 1651





	1. Unfamiliar Villain

**Author's Note:**

> Boring, realistic loop first to set the standards :)

“Tommy, are we the bad guys?” 

Wilbur’s words sent a chill down Tommy’s spine, as they weren’t frustrated or desperate, but genuinely curious. Both of them stopped their strides through the forest to just stare at each other. 

In Tommy’s silence, Wilbur continued. “We just- I mean we just kinda made ourselves the leaders, and then- now we have a vote, Schlatt won in a completely legal way. Now we’re.. trying to overthrow him. It feels like we’re the bad guys, Tommy.” 

_Fuck,_ Wilbur was actually considering this possibility. What was worse is that he did hold a point, to an extent. That is what happened, though perhaps more of a one-sided story. Both of them started walking back again. 

“Tommy, this doesn’t feel correct.. am I the villain in this story?” 

Through his shock, Tommy was slow to respond. When he did, though, it was firm and confident. 

“No.” 

“Why not?” 

Wilbur knew he had a point, Wilbur knew that he had a case that Tommy couldn’t argue easily against. Through the moon’s shallow light, he could see a slight smirk on the ex-president’s face. Tommy never wanted to punch him so bad as now. 

Tommy began carefully, not exactly having a plan. “We- We started L’manberg, and we should have won that vote..”

“The people voted for Schlatt, Tommy. The people decided that we shouldn’t.” 

“They didn’t decide it, the endorsement did.” Tommy noticed his mistake almost immediately after the words left his mouth, but Wilbur seemed to understand what he meant. 

“We knew about the coalition government, we got cocky- Our arrogance got in our way and _we allowed it._ Yet, here we are trying to overthrow them.. Tommy, I think we’re the bad guys.” 

They were at Pogtopia now, but Wilbur made no move to enter the crevasse. He was instead, staring Tommy dead in the eyes. He had made a point, and he was running with it. 

Tommy, on the other hand, was only trying to merely process the idea of being villainous. He always thought he was a hero, a main character even, fighting for the good of his nation and, though he wouldn’t admit it, his friends. 

Wilbur was noticing his uncertainty, and continued on his crazed babbles. “Here’s the thing, Tommy. We both think we’re in the right. We do both agree on that, yeah?” 

The blond nodded. “Yeah we’re- I’m always in the right..” 

Wilbur’s voice softened as he kept his unblinking stare, “no- yeah, then let’s be the bad guys.”

_Fuck._

“Then.. look, our nation is far behind us, Tommy. Our nation is _gone._ Let’s blow that mother fucker to smithereens.” Wilbur stated casually while now walking inside the entrance. 

Tommy’s eyes widened in the bluntness of the statement. A nation he had sacrificed his disks for, many had sacrificed their _lives_ for, blown up by their very founders.. 

Wilbur looked like he was going to continue, but having enough on his plate to process, Tommy held his hands up defensively. “Wilbur, please. Let’s- let’s sleep on it.” 

“Tommy, if we can’t have Manberg, then NO ONE, NO ONE CAN HAVE MANBERG.” Wilbur’s voice rose over Tommy’s, clearly not done with his case. The teenager flinched, but nonetheless didn’t stop his pleas. 

“Wilbur, you need- we all need rest, please Wilbur.” 

The ex-president’s shoulders relaxed only a tad as he stepped towards the spiraling staircase. He had to get the last word in though, a line that was, supposedly, leaving Tommy to think by himself. 

“Tommy, I think this is a new era.” 

And just like that, Wilbur disappeared into the ravine, leaving him alone. 

What the fuck just happened? 


	2. Growing Seeds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try to pull quotes straight from their streams, but they may be altered and/or ignored for the sake of this story.

Tommy did not sleep well. It was hard to fall asleep on a note like that, left wondering, “ _Am I really a villain? Am I a bad person?_ ” Even as he told himself that Wilbur had lost his shit, there was still that seed that was planted in the back of his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more it grew. 

The fact he woke to Wilbur’s incoherent ramblings didn’t help, not at all. Tommy grudgingly got up from the scuffed bed, dusting off and straightening his appearance. They didn’t exactly have brushes or a fresh pair of clothes, so he had to make do. 

With a heavy heart, Tommy made his way through the ravine, towards a pacing and muttering Wilbur. When the two met eye-to-eye, Wilbur deadpanned.. waiting. 

Well, that’s fine. Tommy was an Alpha male too, and only stared right back. To his success, Wilbur broke the silence. 

“Have you changed your mind?” He inquired, not breaking his gaze. 

Short, blunt, and to the point, Tommy responded a simple “No.” 

Wilbur shrugged it off. “I know why you’re denying this, Tommy. I know, I see it in your eyes. I can hear it in your voice. Tommyinnit, you’re scared.” 

Those words rung through the cavern, leaving Tommy, once again, in shock. 

“Tommy, when I said you’re never going to be president, you have to understand.. that wasn’t a challenge. It’s true. You’re never going to be president, Tommy. And- And I know you’re trying to sound like you know what you’re doing. Tommy, we’re fucked. We were fucked the minute we were thrown out. Because.. Schlatt knows. He knows-“ 

Wilbur kept on spewing out words, words that flooded the cavern with doubt and cold, hard reality. Almost instinctively, Tommy brought his hands more towards his ears, like it was going to provide him a life vest, to prevent him from drowning in Wilbur’s crazed words. He was just putting it perspective, he was swaying how the story was read, Tommy tried to convince himself-

“We can kill them all, Tommy. Tommy-“ Wilbur continued to speak, eyes dilating with crazed power, a sudden need for brutal and unfair bloodshed. 

“No, no!” 

“- Everybody who's claiming to be on our side, they’re lying to us. Tubbo? He’s lying to you, man! He- He will drop us at a seconds notice when he realizes we’re not in the lead anymore, he-“ 

Tommy found himself swinging before he could stop himself, a cold fist meeting a face of an even colder, new villain.

Both of them fell into silence as Wilbur started to wipe blood away from his nose. With a shaky breath, Tommy tried to take control of the situation. 

“Wilbur, you’re- you’re being reckless, alright? You’re not being the man that used to be president.. This isn’t the right thing to do, this isn’t the _moral_ thing to do.” 

Wilbur was still silent, his lips pressed into a fine line of.. shame? Guilt? Just..straight up not caring? Tommy fought the urge to clutch at his hair in stress.

The brunette broke the silence once again, “I- heh.. I have somebody to meet, Tommy.”

He narrowed his eyes as Wilbur walked up the stairs, still wiping away the thin trickle of blood that ran down his nose. Tommy should apologize, but he knew damn well he wouldn’t. 

He was, at first, going to let Wilbur blow off steam. Some time for Tommy to process what the fuck is happening. 

The only conclusion he could get was that it had all gone to shit. With a noise of concern, Tommy stood. Perhaps he should go see Wilbur again, and figure out who the hell this person he was meeting with was. 

The blond didn’t know why he was surprised when he heard Dream’s voice just outside the entrance. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey imma do a double upload today, keep an eye out.


	3. Empty Threats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes are being funky last chapter, might be in this one too; Today was a double upload Tomorrow will also be a double upload. 
> 
> Why? Well, Friday is doomsday, after all.

Fuck,  _ fuck _ . Wilbur was talking to Dream, an incredibly powerful ally. If he convinced him, then Wilbur might as well have discovered an infinite source of explosives.  _ Shit.  _

Tommy hurriedly squeezed through the entrance, seeing Dream and Wilbur talk alongside the river, only meters away. While the lack of a crazed tone in Wilbur’s voice was normally great, the blond understood that it was only to put on a more convincing case. Wilbur wasn’t dumb, after all. 

“-nderstand you have a lot of TNT. A bit of the Trinitrotoluene, no?” Wilbur explained to the masked figure, his hands grasping at air.

Dream seemed hesitant when he responded, “I do.. I have a bit..” 

The ex-president seemed almost excited. “You do! Dream, I want to be your vassal, I want to set this up,  _ I want to rig the city. _ ”

Tommy had to cut in, before this got out of hand. “Wilbur, no. Dream! Dream, don’t give it to him.” 

Dream turned his head as Tommy approached the two, shrugging apologetically. 

“Dream this isn’t alright! You- This-“

“Tommy, I have to.” He responded, placing a firm hand on Tommy’s shoulder. For a moment, a mere second, he felt powerless. If Dream sided with Wilbur, supplied him with the explosives and resources needed.. 

It was Wilbur who spoke, and that helplessness turned to a mild rage just at the sound of his voice. 

“Tommy, Dream wants destruction- He wants both Pogtopia  _ and  _ Manberg to be weak.” Quickly covering any damage with Dream, Wilbur continued, “That's not scolding you Dream. You’re a smart man, I’ve seen what you can do! I’m here to help you- I’m here to- Pogtopia and Manberg will be nothing more.” 

Tommy was started to hate when Wilbur started to talk, as he didn’t  _ stop.  _ He didn’t want to listen to reasoning or feedback or anything. Wilbur knew what he wanted and for fucks sake, he was going to stop at nothing to get it. 

Dream’s response, however, was peculiar. “You’re saying Manberg..” 

Wilbur nodded. “Well, yeah. That’s what it’s called.”

“Yes, Wilbur. I want Pogtopia and Manberg to be nothing more, and I want L’manberg to return-“ Dream started, but Tommy cut him off, confused. 

“Why do you want L’manberg to return? You’re- You’re the reason why we had to make L’manberg..” A twang of regret struck him, perhaps pointing out the flaws of a man you’re trying to convince isn't the best way to go. 

Dream was careful with his words, hands idly by his side. “Schlatt is.. ambitious. L’manberg wasn’t, when you guys frolicked around in the flowers.. Schlatt wants to expand.” 

Wilbur’s laugh concerned Tommy, and perhaps even Dream, as he turned his back to the two. 

“Dream, this has made me ambitious! If I’m taking power again, I  _ will be ambitious!  _ That’s what I’m saying, let me blow it up!”

“Wilbur, no.” Tommy stated. “You shouldn’t-“ 

Wilbur’s cold, short laugh was soon followed by more words, words that Tommy was certain he wouldn’t have said a week ago. 

“You were never in charge, Tommy.” 

The blond hates this new Wilbur, a Wilbur that seemed to care less about how he was feeling, what he thought. This was beyond their normal bantering, much less lighthearted than the piston incident. 

If Tommy was going to respond, it was cut off by a shuffling of a bag. Dream’s bag, now being dumped with loose pieces of explosives. 

“There’s more, but I don’t have them with me. I’ll make it quick to carry the rest over here, though.” Dream stated, Wilbur already scooping up the contents. 

Tommy hated what he did next. Even as he pulled out his bow, a guilty lump formed in his throat. He never had the intention to shoot Wilbur. Even if he had lost his fucking mind, Wilbur was still a brother figure to him. Besides, Tommy was shot before, and though he made it out alive, it still hurt like hell.

And.. yet, even as Tommy aimed the arrow towards Wilbur, he didn’t seem too concerned. Wilbur knew that Tommy wouldn’t- couldn’t shoot him. Nonetheless, Tommy held his head high. “I’m going to ask you to give me those, Wilbur.” 

A steady moment of silence. Dream stepped between the two, the same smiley mask somehow even more intense. 

“I’m going to have to stop you, Tommy.” 

Tommy didn’t lower his bow right away. He could see Wilbur’s face peeking around from behind Dream, and the blond gritted his teeth before lowering his bow. 

“Wilbur. This isn’t right- I don’t support this.” 

Wilbur didn’t care. Dream didn’t either. Tommy spent the rest of the day watching them move crates of explosives. He started off trying to get them to stop, but when Dream pulled out his own bow at one point, it was a telltale sign for him to shut up.

When they had finished, Tommy listened in on the closure. 

“I don’t want you to get caught in the crossfire. Maybe.. don’t show up to the festival. Especially during Tubbo’s speech.”

Tommy didn’t sleep at all that night. His eyes bore into the stone ceiling, dreading the doom that was only three days away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to include Daddy Dream but it didn’t fit the mood.


	4. Joyful Music, Serious Talks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey notice how this chapter is longer than the others  
> I think I have a Tubbo bias

Tommy awoke. Maybe he did sleep last night. His body and mental state told him otherwise, though. If he did get some rest, it seemed to be maybe an hour at most. 

Tommy stepped out and into the ravine. Wilbur wasn’t in the main part, nor in any of the rooms. He was there alone, as Techno had ventured off talking about.. horses, or some weird shit. 

The teenager sat on a stone ledge, losing himself in thought as he waited for Wilbur to return. Techno _had_ to be on Wilbur’s side. He was a violent anarchist, and some innocent lives meant little to nothing to him when it came to mass destruction. 

Dream proved himself to be on Wilbur’s side. Perhaps hoping for a different outcome, but nonetheless was supplying his horrible plans.

Tubbo. Tubbo had no clue the doom he was going to bring upon the nation. Maybe he could help. If not, a warning is the best Tommy can do for his friend. 

Wilbur still absent, Tommy pulled on his own cloak. Gathering some bare necessities and a sword (just in case,) Tommy mounted his horse and rode towards the embassy, careful to take the very outskirts of Manberg. 

He didn’t care, at one time, and would ride through the middle of the land as long as nobody was walking about. He and Techno got busted recently, though. It was better not to repeat that. 

Tommy hoped Tubbo would be there, and to his relief, he was able to wave his friend towards his old home. The bee-loving boy was surprised to see him, to say the least. The last time they had talked was before the announcement of the festival. 

“Tommy! What’s up?” Tubbo’s greetings were always light-hearted, especially if it was just the two of them. 

Tommy sighed, his voice low, and lacking his signature energy. “Tubbo.. we need to uh- talk.” 

The shorter boy nodded, “Do we need music, then?” 

Tommy wanted to shake his head no. He wanted to tell him that this wasn’t like the good old days, where they could listen to music together. The topic was too serious, too _deadly_ to have some lighthearted, upbeat background music to it. Yet again, Tubbo didn’t know that. If he’d preferred to have music, then good on him. 

“Sure, I guess.” Tommy said simply, standing up to grab a disk. He had a secret storage in his embassy that Schlatt didn’t discover yet. He inserted one, blocks, and sat back down.

The music started playing in the jukebox. Tommy’s start on the subject was slow. “Tubbo, don’t let them see us..” 

There was a pause as both of them glanced behind their backs. Admittedly, their view was dense tree. Maybe they would have laughed about that before this all started. 

Tommy spoke again. “Look.. Wilbur’s fucking lost it.” 

Tubbo blinked curiously. “What makes you say that?” 

The blond debated how much he could tell Tubbo, that seed planted in his brain blocked him from telling the entire truth so quickly. Was if Tubbo _was_ going to betray them? 

“He’s.. Look, I can’t tell you. All I can say is that the festival is not going to be a good day. He.. wants to get rid of L’manberg. I don’t want that..” 

Tubbo barely took a moment to process that, and replied in a more confused than concerned tone, “Why would he do that? The festival is going to be great! I actually-“ 

“He’s lost his fucking shit, Tubbo!” Tommy snapped “He wants you blown up! He doesn’t believe-“ The light and airy tune of blocks was suddenly too much as Tommy stood up, yanking it out of the jukebox. 

Tommy took a deep breath. 

“He doesn’t believe you’re here to help. He doesn’t even believe I’m here to help. He just believes that L’manberg is too far gone. He thinks it’s the end of an era.” 

Tubbo was quick to process this as well, apparently unflinching at the thought of Wilbur not trusting him. “Well, we- as in Pogtopia, have the upper hand..” 

“Yes! I know we do, I know- I know _we_ do Tubbo, but Wilbur’s..” Tommy scoffed his name, glancing away from his friend for a moment. When they met eyes again, Tommy’s gaze was worried, but serious. 

“This is war, Tubbo.” 

Tubbo started to say something, but Tommy wasn’t done, “Tubbo, these are fights, we’ve done these!” 

Almost as soon as Tommy finished, Tubbo said, “How do I know you’re not just saying this?” 

Ouch. Tommy took a minute to think, Tubbo just staring blankly. The former Vice President ran a finger over the music disk, before handing it to Tubbo. 

To a blind eye, the disk seemed worthless. Something that played music, and, if you liked the song, then maybe it was worth a little more. Between the two, however, it had its own story, wars were fought and ended over disks. 

Tubbo grasped it carefully, glancing up, almost with a hint of guilt. 

Tommy sighed, “Just, don’t tell anybody you have it. Don’t trade it away or- just keep it, alright? Remember that you have it?” 

Tubbo nodded, and after a moment, Tommy turned back to his horse. He swallowed down a bitter feeling in his throat, looking his friend in the eyes before he left. 

“Tread lightly Tubbo, we can’t trust anyone.” 

With that, Tommy rode off towards Pogtopia. He was uncertain if he felt better or worse 

==o== 

When Tommy returned from his talk with Tubbo, Wilbur had returned. He was emptying loose stones out of his backpack, and waved almost innocently when he saw Tommy staring. 

The blond wasn’t an idiot, either. He knew where those stones came from. There was just.. nothing he could do about it. 

Sleep seemed to be his only option, so he did. Or, at least, tried. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I totally cut off the whole “Schlatt busted them” thing so I didn’t have to write borderline crack of Tubbo’s pregnant excuse please help me I loose braincells everything that bit is brought up


	5. Whack-a-mole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, mostly buying time for other loops.

“Whoops, haha. Wouldn’t want to blow up the ravine now, would I?” 

Well, that’s a way to wake up. Great to know that Wilbur could have possibly exploded the fucking place while Tommy was sleeping. 

A few things crept onto him at once, though, and the concern of getting blasted into bits disappeared. 

One, tomorrow was the festival, tomorrow was doomsday. The day where  _ others  _ will get blasted into bits, or suffer a fate much worse then so. 

Two, Wilbur seemed like he didn’t change his mind yet. He couldn’t have, Tommy didn’t speak to him at all the other day. 

Three, he was probably setting up the explosives right now. 

Tommy launched himself out of his room and turned to the ravine, the end of Wilbur’s brown coat just disappearing around the corner. He frantically took off after it, careful as he himself, skidded around the corner. 

Wilbur glanced back to look at the sudden commotion with a frown. “Oh, you’re awake.” 

“Yes, I’m fucking awake- Wilbur you’re still losing your fucking mind! You’re going to shit!” Tommy complained. 

“Well, good morning to you, too.” The line wouldn’t have been threatening if Wilbur wasn’t carrying a crate loaded with explosives. Tommy badly wanted to start stabbing shit, namely whatever was driving Wilbur this mad. 

“Ok, whatever. Drop the explosives, Wilbur.” He hissed through gritted teeth. 

The brunette shrugged. “No, don’t think I will. We’ve almost got them all there, anyways.” 

_ We’ve? _ Was Dream once again involved? He honestly thought the man would be talking to cracknap or some shit, leaving Wilbur to do all the dirty work. 

“Techno has wither skulls, you know. At least a whopping six of them” 

Tommy muttered a quiet swear, and Wilbur wandered off. Of course a Techno suddenly dropped the horses to summon a fucking demon. At least two demons, actually. Great, just what he needed. 

==o==

Tommy tried looking for Wilbur and Techno, he really did. Perhaps he could move some of the TNT, lessen the intensity of the explosives. It was hard to do that when you couldn’t even find the location, though. 

Well, they were under the ground, obviously. Probably hidden away inside the planks of the grandstand and hidden in some of the crates in the Festival stalls. It wasn’t that easy to go looking for them, though. He was banished. 

So here Tommy was, sitting in the brush, scanning around Manberg to see if Wilbur would pop out of a hole, the entrance to his plan. It was going to be like whack-a-mole, with.. less moles and less whacking. Maybe not like whack-a-mole. 

He waited. Dawn turned into noon.. turned into dusk. He either missed them entirely or they were hard at work. 

Tommy didn’t catch himself dozing off in the roots of the tree. He didn’t catch Wilbur exiting, either. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha tomorrow is going to be a blast.


	6. Aflame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh explosions and death, though mostly implied and temporary. (Timeloop pog)  
> Thought you may know that by now but better to specify.

Tommy.. woke up on his bed. It was odd, as yesterday’s events didn’t take too long to process in his head. It was a minor worry, though. Even as Tommy picked up the note he found just beside him, he knew there were bigger matters to face. 

_“Techno and I found you asleep in the woods. Don’t be alarmed, we just didn’t want you to get cold._

_Stay here today, alright?_

_Wilbur :)”_

Bullshit. Well, except the part about him falling asleep. Tommy knew they just didn’t want Schlatt to find him, and rat out their plan. 

It was a thing Tommy considered, but he wasn’t going to stoop down to that level. Not yet, at least. Besides, what would he do afterwards? 

.. If he even was alive afterwards. The idea of him dying today wasn’t foreign, but nonetheless stressful. 

Footsteps echoed past him, and he was tugged out of his own thoughts. He couldn’t see the sun, of course, but Tommy was certain that the festival was.. soon. 

There was no way in hell he was staying here while people he knew were in so much danger. 

The footsteps subsided and Tommy peeked out of his room. Nobody, good. Tommy had to follow them, without being caught. He wouldn’t be able to find the entrance otherwise. He would be able to stop Wilbur as he detonated.. 

No, he wasn’t going to. Tommy had to stop him. He grabbed his sword.

He walked slowly- and quietly- through the stone covered.. everything. Anything that wasn’t stone was man-made. That’s besides the point. If this was the last time Tommy saw the ravine, then so be it. He was sick of the grey. 

When he exited Pogtopia, he once again saw the tail of a trench coat just disappear. While Tommy originally made fun of the man for the apparel being a bit too big, he sure was grateful for it now. He followed carefully, one step on a dry leaf or random twig would give him away. 

The fact he was able to do so for the whole way almost surprised him. He wasn’t exactly the sneakiest of people, anyways. (Or maybe he just had bad luck, I mean, how the fuck did Eret find him and ‘Big Law’ deep underground what felt like long ago?) 

Out of the woods, standing by Eret’s tower.. aha. Tommy watched as Techno and Wilbur slid down a hole right by the base of the tower. 

The blond didn’t follow right away, and was instead distracted by the colorful decorations. Bright, festive canopies and banners. Extremely flammable.. 

Tommy took another moment to scan the crowd. Schlatt and crew (including Tubbo, Tommy shivered slightly at the sight,) were standing on the.. oddly satanic grandstand. Fundy was chatting with Karl. Eret and Niki stood by the lake, watching Hbomb nail the wipeout course that was set up. Tommy watched Ponk fall flat on his face on an ice rink. Punz and Jack were totally going at it in a wrestling ring. How the fuck did they get a wrestling ring? 

_Tap, Tap, Tap._

Schlatt was on the microphone. He should probably enter after his.. allies? Could they even be called that anymore? 

_“It is an honor to have you all here today, celebrating the thing we love most, democracy.”_

Techno pointed a crossbow at Tommy the second he dropped down. Only slightly was his defense lowered when he noticed it was, in fact, Tommy. 

“Technoblade, I don’t have time.” 

_“The decorations and attractions you see here today are built by the decoration committee. Give them a thank-you as you walk around today, yeah?”_

Not waiting for a response, the blond shoved past the pink-haired man. A thin tunnel leads into a much larger compartment. There was Wilbur, hunched over a collection of TNT. Behind it was the largest fucking collection of explosives Tommy has ever seen. 

Wilbur looked over to him, expression turning sour. 

“Tommy.. disobeying your president’s orders again?” The tone was haunting, almost lifeless. 

_“Look over there! There’s a good old ice rink.. and a kissing booth? How charming. What I love the most, though, is how high-spirited everybody is today!”_

“Wilbur, we don’t have time- please. We can leave- we can find a different plan, make Schlatt pay in a different way. Nobody has to get in the crossfire, Wilbur!” 

The man in the trench coat stuck out his bottom lip. “But I wanted to light the TNT..” he pouted, pulling out a match. 

Wilbur was taunting him. Wilbur was acting like a evil toddler just to fuck with Tommy. 

_“Now, I do believe it’s time for Tubbo’s speech. Give a warm welcome to our Secretary-of-state, my right hand man!”_

“Wilbur! Wilbur there’s- you’re not going to make it out of here alive.” The realization popped into his brain and almost immediately exited his mouth. His heart sank, not only due to the minimal amount of time they now had, but the thought of losing _everybody_ today. 

Something glinted in Wilbur’s eyes. “That was always the plan, Tommy.” He pulled a spare piece of dynamite from his pocket, holding it in his other hand. 

“We don’t both have to die down here, you know. Phil forgive me, Tommy. You should leave.” 

_Slowly, a familiar, young voice cleared it’s throat._

“Wilbur- No! You’re not lighting that-“ Tommy drew his sword, unsure what exactly to do. 

_“Citizens of Manberg-“_

A flame whizzed onto the end of the match, meeting the explosive’s fuse. 

“You’ve left me no choice.” 

Tommy watched Wilbur throw the dynamite behind him, not even looking at his demise. 

_“We are gathered here today to celebrate democracy!”_

Shakily, Wilbur spoke one last time. 

“I’m sorry.” 

The explosion was ear-ripping, and Tommy couldn’t even see Wilbur’s tears before he was thrown back by the mere force of the explosion. 

Flames engulfed Tommy’s skin, causing searing, hot pain. 

A pitiful cry escaped his mouth, not that anybody could hear it over the deafening destruction. 

All went black when his head soon hit stone with a large, sickening crack. 

==o==

Tommy jolted up in his bed, sweating bullets. It took him too long to get a steady breath, heart beating far too loud. 

Was he dead? .. No. The same gray walls focused into view. The same flowerpot holding a wilted allium. The same bedsheets.. 

Tommy quickly checked himself for injuries. Burns, wounds, bandages. He found nothing, left staring dumbfounded at his wall. 

A familiar laugh rang out through the ravine, followed by some sort of conversation. While it wasn’t Wilbur’s or Techno’s, it was strangely similar. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If your watching it live, or the VOD/highlights, hope everybody enjoys the drama thats surely going to ensue today.  
> Also next timeloop! Maybe if somebody guesses it before tomorrow I may confirm. It has to be spot on though.


	7. The_Eret has joined your party!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Won’t spoil but my festival chapter is totally incorrect, hm. 
> 
> I also want to say thank you SO much for all the support!! It really means a lot. <3

It took Tommy a moment to stand. His knees buckled out of blunt shock and exhaustion. It was understandable, though. He was supposed to be dead, more than dead, his body was supposed to to be engulfed in flames. Somehow, he’d escaped without a scratch. 

He couldn’t have imagined it. There’s no fucking way he dreamt that shit. There was no note, plus he didn’t wake up in a forest. 

He found himself walking down the ravine, lost in thought. His fingers idly traced the stone walls. He felt like he was swimming, quite honestly. Swimming in an oddly warm body of water, salty but without waves. Sandy, but without a bottom. 

“Tommy! You missed him, but Tubbo brought in some news.” 

The blond stopped dead. 

Both Wilbur and Techno stared right at him, unconcerned. 

A third figure was staring down at him from a nook in the stone above. About his height, brunette, and a pair of glowing white eyes hiding behind far-to familiar shades. 

Eret. 

Inside of the crown and royal cape, however, his outfit was much more.. practical? He was wearing a spruce shirt, much like the one he wore in the small period of time before L’manberg, but holes were riddled around the seams. There was a large brown scarf bundled messily around his neck. Gray ripped jeans were being held up by a black, minimalistic, leather tool belt. Scuffed, monochromatic boots topped the outfit off. Tommy blinked out of pure confusion. 

“Did you sleep alright, Tommy? You seem lost and spaced out.” Eret half-chuckled. So he was taunting him, then. Good to know that bastard of a traitor never changed. His fists clenched slightly, but Wilbur’s voice brought him back to reality. (How was Wilbur alive? Fuck, how was Tommy alive?) 

“Look, we have to leave as soon as possible. Apparently Schlatt has an important announcement at noon. If we leave now, maybe we’ll be there in time. Admittedly, Tubbo seemed very excited about it.” 

_ What?  _

“I should stay here.” Techno noted blankly. “Horses need me.. or something.” 

_ What the fuck??  _ What about the withers, half of the SMP dying? Eret sitting right there not having a care in the world? Maybe somebody should, you know, fill him in?

“Eret, I’m assuming you’re coming too?” Wilbur asked, getting a short nod as an answer. 

“Tommy?” Wilbur turned to him. There wasn’t a regretful or crazed look. He looked.. normal. Focused, but normal. 

“I guess I’ll come?” Tommy spoke slowly, no less confused than before. 

Wilbur seemed a little concerned, but shrugged it off. 

The three of them trudged off and out of Pogtopia. 

His three biggest questions walked through the forest. 

Eret. He was in front of Tommy, though a bit to the right. Why the fuck was the traitor here? Where was his crown? Even better, why was nobody concerned? This man had betrayed them, almost  _ killed _ them. And yet, Wilbur was walking alongside him like a friend, an ally. 

Wilbur. He was, somehow, alive. He was, somehow, unconcerned and not talking about explosives. In fact, he was talking to Eret in a normal tone, listening to him. His responses were short and brisk. 

Tommy himself was alive. He was alive, and didn’t have any wounds or bandages. 

The three of them walked out of the woods. The large, stone and obsidian towers were just gone, entirely. 

The festival couldn’t have been a dream. Maybe if Eret wasn’t here, but he was.

They reached the top of the hill, and Tommy looked out upon Manberg. There were no holes, no smell of sulfur. In fact, there weren't even brightly colored banners or booths, no ice rink or wipeout course. 

Tommy rubbed his eyes, nothing changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hh I’m not very stylish and I had to imagine some type of Pogtopia outfit for him I dunno if I did well


	8. Festival Planning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you for all the support! I’ll make an effort for longer chapters in the future (some chapters are pre-written days before I publish them,) but I don’t want it to affect the uploading schedule, either.

_ Tap, tap tap.  _

Oh, Schlatt was starting. Tommy hoped this would clear some shit up. 

_ “Alright, uhm. So a festival! That’s what I’m here to announce.”  _

Wait, what the fuck? 

_ “We’re going to throw a party, one to celebrate democracy!”  _

Cheers that erupted from the small crowd were excited, but short-lived. 

Tommy felt lightheaded. This.. they’ve already done this. 

_ “The same democracy that elected me here, that got rid of the dictator that ruled before me.”  _

Wilbur gritted his teeth, the sound was eerily familiar.. 

Eret’s breath of confusion wasn’t though. Before, he was probably building another shitty tower. 

Where the fuck was the towers? He glanced back over to the other side of Manberg, only to see the other one gone, too. 

_ “The same democracy that let Manberg live it’s fullest! It’s time to celebrate. We can pull people from all corners of this land, except the two who mustn’t be named, and their accomplice.”  _

__ That.. that dialogue changed. Tommy found himself holding his head from the rush of thoughts, though none of them useful to explain this. A firm, somewhat unfamiliar hand rested on his shoulder. 

It was Eret’s. Despite the move being an attempt to be comforting, Tommy wanted to start yelling at him. Why the fuck was he here? Why was this seemingly normal? How were any of them alive? 

Not that he was complaining about being alive. It was just nice to have some fucking answers. 

He subconsciously shrugged off Eret’s hand, deciding that yelling would only bring more attention, and may make him seem nuts. Nobody else had a problem with it, and as shown, he had bigger questions to worry about.

_ “And we enjoy the festivities, and we celebrate Manberg’s independence- Like oh my god, look at that flag. That is such, such a nice flag.”  _

__ Fuck the flag. 

_ “You know what? Maybe we can have some fun games around the flag, so people could enjoy it.”  _

Tommy had already sat through this speech once. The same drinking joke whizzed in one ear and out the other. (Though, Eret’s disapproving hum when they mentioned making an exception to the drinking age for Tubbo was interesting.) 

_ “We can invite some people.. like that Karl guy. Maybe Dream will show up..”  _

Another change in dialogue. Tommy’s head was really starting to ache. 

More of the same sentences, same words. He took the time to study Wilbur and Eret instead. 

Wilbur was tense. Eret seemed to just be taking it all in. Great, that totally helped his crisis. Nobody else seemed to be as confused as him.

Apparently, the speech had ended. Wilbur got up, Eret and Tommy trailing behind. 

It took Wilbur a moment, after a short bit of walking, he asked, 

“Tommy, Eret, are we the bad guys?” 

Fuck, they were doing this again, too?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This loop is probably going to be the most OOC as I can imagine Tommy confused as fuck, so it kinda hinders part of the writing? I dunno, basically sorry if things seem OOC.


	9. Broken silence

“What makes you say that?” Eret spoke up quickly, and Tommy found himself watching the two go back and forth. 

“We just- I mean we just kinda made ourselves the leaders, and then- now we have a vote, Schlatt won in a completely legal way. Now we’re.. trying to overthrow him. It feels like we’re the bad guys, Eret.” Wilbur stated. The chills and fear Tommy had last time returned, but much, much less intense. More of a reminder, if anything. 

“Wilbur, this is sounding  _ very  _ one-sided.” Eret responded, and Tommy found himself nodding. 

“But it’s true though, one-sided or not. That’s what happened.. that’s.. are we the villains in the story?” Wilbur pondered aloud, stopping their strides. 

In Eret’s silence, Tommy stated quickly, “No. We started L’manberg. Surely.. surely others aren’t happy with Schlatt.” 

“Look who spoke up, glad you could finally join us, Tommy.” Wilbur half-sneered, pointing out his former silence. “Anyways, there seemed to be quite a lot of people excited for the festival.” 

Tommy groaned slightly, already done with having to deal with this a second time. Wilbur picked up their stride, Eret following in silence. Tommy hoped he was just thinking. 

“We- hell, we knew about the coalition government, and we still allowed it, Tommy. We were arrogant and cocky. Now we’re trying to overthrow him. I think we’re the bad guys.” 

Once again, Pogtopia’s entrance laid just before them. Eret seemed done with whatever was happening, entering. Tommy stood with Wilbur outside, alone. 

“All three of us think we’re in the right, Tommy. I’m not wrong, am I?” 

Tommy stayed silent, his stare weak from.. a number of things. 

Wilbur scoffed after a moment, clearly not waiting any longer for an answer. 

“I saw we be the bad guys. You, me, Eret. Our nation is gone, I say the three of us do some real damage and explode it to smithereens.” 

“Wilbur, no.” Tommy stated 

“If we can’t have Manberg.. if we can’t have Manberg then I say NOBODY, NOBODY CAN HAVE MANBERG.” 

Cool, Wilbur was losing his shit again. Tommy expected this, but it didn’t mean he knew what to do. Wilbur’s attempts to intimidate him seemed to be failing, as he knew what to expect. 

Wilbur began to enter Pogtopia, muttering. The blond followed, almost boredly. 

“Wilbur, can you please stop acting like a deranged toddler?” Tommy asked. “There’s clearly other solutions you can follow, other plans we can make.” 

Wilbur let out a shrill laugh of disbelief. “Talking back to your president, Tommy?” 

“Maybe I am.” Tommy stated bluntly. It wasn’t a threat, and he had no intention for it to be. 

They stood in silence for too many heartbeats. 

“Goodnight, Tommyinnit. Remember, this is a new era.” 

Tommy rolled his eyes. He had no plans of sleeping. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter today, oops. Kinda pushing along to get to the better part of the plot. 
> 
> I need to find new, creative lines for Wilbur just going batshit.


	10. Note-taking

Tommy held his head up with his palm, quill in hand, blank parchment spread out in front of him. An oil lamp burned softly in the corner. After the hike today, his body ached for sleep. His mind, however, cried out otherwise. 

_ Hear word about an announcement, decide to go.  _

He scribbled the notes down in his careless handwriting. If the universe was going to give him a second chance, he probably shouldn’t fuck it up. 

_ Walk to Manberg uneventful.  _

_ Schlatt announces a festival to celebrate democracy  _

Why, though? It’s not like he knew what to do. There was no bright neon sign saying “Hey! Maybe you should say this?” Tommy was left on his own accords. 

_ Wilbur thinks we’re the bad guys _

_ Loses his shit at Pogtopia before heading to sleep. _

__ Tommy checked off all the notes he wrote so far. They all happened, though admittedly, a third character was thrown into the mix. 

A wacky one at that. Eret was the last person he’d expect Wilbur to be accepting of in Pogtopia. Even before his decline, the ex-president wasn’t one to trust easily, primarily due to that exact man. 

_ Screams about people lying.  _

_ Goes outside to see Dream.  _

__ Tommy really didn’t want to listen to Wilbur spiral into madness again. With a slight sigh, Tommy added something next to that line 

_ (Try not to punch him again)  _

Maybe that’ll help.. a little bit. Tommy wasn’t sure, was he supposed to be? Was he expected to know everything? Surely not, but somethings, it fucking felt like it. 

_ TNT transport to Pogtopia  _

_ Wilbur Probably sleeps; uncertain.  _

Tommy scoffed at the idea of some random person finding this. He would have to hide it well, otherwise it would look like witchcraft or stalker-ish or some other shit. 

_ Wilbur is gone in the morning _

_ Spoke to Tubbo  _

_ Wilbur emptying stones - mining?  _

Footsteps. Tommy physically jumped when he noticed the cold echos, grabbing the parchment and hiding it in the first place he saw fit; under his scuffed bed. He hoped the ink dried enough for it not to be totally ruined.

Wait- fuck, the oil lamp was still on. 

Eret peeked his head into the room, probably due to the light. Despite friendly jokes, Tommy wasn’t actually a child and didn’t need nightlight. Unless that was different, too. If that’s the case, perhaps he just couldn’t win. 

“Can’t sleep?” The older of the two asked carefully. Tommy just stared for a moment. 

“I was about to.” He finally lies, unblinking. 

Eret pauses, clearly not believing him. They share a heartbeat of silence. 

“I understand not being able to sleep, Tommy. It’s.. a lot to take in. It’s not all black and white now.” The glowing-eyed man sighs, giving no signal of leaving. 

“What do you make of it? Are you.. in favor of it?” Tommy couldn’t care less about how Eret personally felt about it, he’d rather know who he had to go up against. 

Eret thinks about this, before stating, “Try to get some sleep, Tommy.” 

With that, he leaves. Tommy decides it's for the better, even if he didn’t get a clear answer. He could infer, though. Eret always seemed to be full of shit. 

In spite of him, Tommy stays up all that night. He finishes the list, chronological order of the major events. 

Still didn’t explain the repeat of history, appearance of a traitor, or what to do. 

Whatever he was brainstorming was crammed to the back of his brain when he hears Wilbur’s incoherent mutterings by dawn. 


	11. Just enough power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know if you’ve noticed this but I literally have no clue what to name half of the chapters,,

Tommy sighed, walking towards the ex-president. If he recalled, this was the worst part that wasn’t the explosion. It was just him and Wilbur, the latter of the two throwing statements that even now, made him doubt. He never really got an ending, after all. There was just a loud boom, flames.. and death. What happened to everybody else? Who knew about the explosion, who didn’t? Even more questions he wanted to be answered, and he finally reached his destination.

Once again, Wilbur stared at him, deadpanned. Tommy decided to be the better man and spark up the conversation. 

“Morning, Wilbur.” He would have asked how he slept, but by the tired eyes that both of them had probably answered that. He was trying to deflect the conversation, away from the whole ‘ _ everybody is lying to you _ ’ part. 

Wilbur’s eyes turned to Tommy’s hands, resting idly at his sides. Ink stained the fingertips. Despite his attempt to hide them once he realized this, Tommy must have failed. 

“What.. What were you writing last night, May I ask? Eret said you were up pretty late.” 

Great, of course. While the ink was technically his fault, Eret had no need to snitch on him. He found himself pushing away the bitterness to focus on the conversation. 

“None of your business, Wilbur.” Tommy’s voice had some unintended aggressiveness in it, only fueling the flame that was just now building. 

“Oh, it is. I’m just curious, you know? If it’s plans to help blow up Manberg, I want to see them.” Wilbur stated, grinning slightly. 

“I’m not helping you.” Tommy stated bluntly. The conversation was talking a familiar turn. 

Wilbur scoffed, stepping towards his right hand man. (Was Tommy still his right hand man?) 

“Tommy, why not?” His tone was dangerously laced in a sweet tone, “Are you scared, Tommy? 

The boy was silent, standing strong. He tried not to show any weakness, any form of discomfort. He wasn’t going to stand for Wilbur’s plans of mass destruction. He wasn’t going to allow him to carry those plans out, either. Wilbur took that sturdy silence to move on with his rambles.

“Look at you, trying to be strong. Tommy, I can see right through you. You’re scared for change, scared to lose too much. Let me tell you Tommy, I said it once and I’ll say it again, you’re never going to be president. It’s not a threat, it’s just the facts. You have  _ nothing _ to lose, Tommy. Don’t be afraid.” 

“I’m not scared, Wil. We do have something to lose, the land is still there, Wilbur. There’s still the same potential that you saw when you started the nation. Plus, the lives of everybody.”

Wilbur shrugged, “Maybe to you.. Tommy, we need to blow that place up, if they die in the process, then so be it.” 

“We don’t have to, Wilbur. There’s other options.” Tommy debated. 

“Is there, though? We have a man obsessed with potatoes, a child, some other random outcast, and what you probably think is a lunatic on our side. And don’t even mention Tubbo, we both know he’s not with us. Schlatt isn’t dumb, Schlatt is giving him just enough power, enough envolvement, to keep him loyal. As soon as he got that power, Tommy, he was  _ never  _ with us. He-“

“Shut up, Wilbur!” Tommy shouted angrily. At least it wasn’t a punch.. The two of them shared a silence, broken by a third. 

“I’m sorry, but why the  _ fuck  _ are we arguing like this?” Eret grumbled, wiping his eyes. He too, looked tired, but perhaps he had a bit more sleep then the rest. 

Neither of them answered, Wilbur moving away from the topic. “.. I have somebody to meet.” 

With that, he left. Eret glance towards Tommy, uncertain what he woke up to. 

“We.. we have to follow him.” Tommy stated quickly, before taking off after Wilbur. He could yell at Eret later, for now he had a bigger issue to deal with. 


	12. Cold mask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh writing these might slow down bc they seem to be getting a bit longer plus school stuff, if that’s the case I still have some chapters stockpiled up.  
> Also didn’t proofread this that much
> 
> EDIT: Chapter title lol

Tommy sprinted up the stone staircase, Eret following behind. His previously tired look was swapped to concern. Tommy didn’t exactly give him an explanation, anyways. Good, let him be confused as well. 

He was able to catch a bit more of the beginning this time, exiting Pogtopia. Dream and Wilbur stood in the exact same place as last time. 

“I.. I think Schlatt is a little more.. ambitious than you, I’d say.” The masked figure pointed out. 

“Wilbur-“ Tommy started, walking towards the two. He had to intervene again, right? 

Wilbur interrupted him, leaning into the conversation. “Dream, ignore Tommy I want that TNT, I can be your vassal! You do have a good stock, I assume?” He once again grasped at nothing in the air. Eret, who approached behind Tommy, tensed. 

There was once again, a hesitant response from Dream, “I do..” 

“I know you do! Dream, let me rig the city, let me cause chaos.”

It wasn’t Tommy who cut in though, but Eret. His voice was firm, and the blond could only just catch him narrowing his eyes behind his shades. 

“Listen to yourself, Wilbur. You're not only killing your enemies, but all the other innocent lives, too. If all that's left is bones and rubble, what’s the point? There would be no land to rule over, nobody to support you other than those also corrupted.” Hesitantly, he turned to Dream. 

“We’ve had our.. differences in the past, I understand. Please, listen to me now. You can’t-“ 

Dream’s response was bitter and cold, though, cutting him off. “Why would I listen to somebody who wouldn’t listen to me? Eret, don’t try to convince me to do anything. You lost your chance when you declined our little deal, or am I wrong?” 

He was met with silence, and with a small huff, Dream turned back to Wilbur. “You were saying?”

Tommy didn’t quite catch what came next, trying to process the information he was just given. The deal had to refer to his betrayal, right? Dream promised him materials, land, and a title if he betrayed L’manberg. 

Had Eret declined the deal in this.. Timeline? Tommy could have sworn there was a word to somewhat explain what was going on, but he was totally blanking on it. Whatever it was, it was fucking weird. 

“-ogtopia and Manberg will be nothing more.” Wilbur ensured. Tommy really wished he would just shut up for once. 

“You’re saying Manberg..” Dream stated once again. 

“Well, yeah. That’s what it’s called.”

“Yes, Wilbur. I want Pogtopia and Manberg to be nothing more, and I want L’manberg to return to its full glory. I had nothing against L’manberg when all was said and done.” 

His head was trying to come up with something to say. Something to stop them; surely if there wasn’t that much TNT to  _ begin _ with.. 

Tommy kinda wished Eret would speak again, but after the first time, it didn’t seem like it. 

Wilbur scoffed under his breath, “I mean, alright-“ 

That didn’t escape Dream, who backed up his argument. “Like I said. Schlatt is ambitious, L’manberg wasn’t. At least, not as much. Schlatt wants our land and is looking to expand to take over it  _ all. _ ”

Tommy only watched as the two finished their conversation. He only watched as Dream handed over the spare TNT, promising more. He only watched as the two started to carry crates of explosives. 

Because, if Tommy was honest, he was tired. The last time he got some real sleep was the night before the festival, before all this shit. It wasn’t just that, though. He was tired of having to argue. He was tired of his questions not having a solid answer. He was tired of.. all of it, really. All he had the energy to do is step back, sit down, and watch. 

Maybe that’s why, when Eret walked over, expressing his concern for the boy, Tommy cracked. He made a leap of faith with what felt like a stranger, unsure how it would end. 

That’s why when Eret asked, “Tommy, are you alright?” He looked to his feet as he admitted, 

“No, but we can’t talk about it here. Let’s walk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :eyes:


	13. Tired confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my proudest chapter but it keeps the plot going in the direction I want it to. Loop is already longer than the other chapter-wise.

So, they walked. Spruce trees looming above, it took Tommy some time to build up some type of courage to start. Was he actually about to have this conversation? With Eret, of all people?

Fuck it, he was tired of nothing making sense. Tommy stopped below the shade of one of the trees. Eret did so as well, his expression neutral. 

“Look, I’m going to sound fucking insane, but not in a way like Wilbur, he’s off his rocker. He honestly lost it. I don’t understand-“ Tommy already was already rambling nervously, shit. He took a deep breath, glancing at Eret, who seemed far too willing to listen. 

“Most stuff has already happened here- I think? I don’t fucking know.” He paused. “History is repeating itself, but it isn’t at the same time? Like, I’ve already lived through his day, you know?”

Eret processed this, his response slow. “So.. you’ve.. time traveled?” 

“Yes! No- maybe? Some things are different, but so many things are the same..” Tommy wasn’t the best explainer, it seemed. 

“Like what? As in, what’s different?” 

Tommy took a moment. Whatever he answered, as long as it was truthful, it was probably going to be really awkward. 

“There’s no nice way to put this, but you are… You’re a traitor, a real scummy one at that.. Or, you were. Honestly, I don’t know.” 

Eret’s neutral face turned confused. Not mad, just confused and processing things. Tommy turned his gaze away, suddenly questioning why he decided to do this. Festival and rebellion aside, he probably seemed really nuts. 

The silence went on too long.

“You’re- that’s not what happened, is it? Like- your not king or anything, were you ever king or something?” 

Eret shook his head. “No. I had the chance to be, but I declined. I couldn’t betray L’manberg, are you saying that in like.. an alternate timeline, I did?” 

Tommy nodded confidently, Eret was slow in response.

“Tommy, I would promise you I would never betray anybody on our side, but.. I’m unsure how much weight those words hold.” 

More silence. Finally, Tommy let out a defeated sigh. “Thanks, I guess. I just don’t know what’s going on. I was sick of hiding this shit, felt like I was going to implode. Do you have any idea?” 

“Fantasies, mere concepts, and while I would say their false, you have reason to believe otherwise.” Eret answered. 

“So you believe me, and you might have an explanation?” Tommy exclaimed. 

“Yes to the first question. Either you're on some shit or you’re telling the truth. I highly doubt you have access to anything down in Pogtopia.” Eret half-joked, before continuing, “And yes, I can at least tell you how some of the fantasies go.” 

Tommy stared expectantly, and the man with the shades took that as a signal to continue. 

“The first one that comes to mind is Timetravel. That sounds voluntary and quite honestly, like it has way too much technology behind it… You didn’t walk onto some machine, did you?” 

Tommy shook his head. Stone, dirt, explosives.. nothing that was wired or screamed ‘Time machine! Advanced technology! Step on me!’ Eret nodded, continuing. 

“Then.. maybe a timeloop? It sounds  _ really _ dumb, but stories were told about one or more people involuntarily being thrown back in time. History often repeats itself, especially for those who didn’t loop with them. Normally you wake up-“ 

“That’s it! That  _ has _ to be it!” Tommy exclaimed again, eyes shining with a bit of hope. “I woke up the morning of the festival announcement, Wilbur seems to be acting mostly the same. That  _ has  _ to be it. Still doesn’t explain you, though..”

Eret nodded, though his face turned concerned. “Well, I wasn’t finished. I can see that if timeloops did exist, and you seem confident that they do, then what else is possible, you know? There’s something else, though. I need you to answer this honestly, alright?” 

It took Tommy a moment to nod. Sure, this Eret didn’t exactly betray L’manberg. Sure, this Eret was helping him, providing him so much information.. but, it was hard to shake some things. He did, in the end, decide to tell the truth. He really had nothing to hide anymore. 

“Most loops in literature seem to end when a figurative timer is up, as in after a day, or with death. I’m not saying anything is true, as it’s classified as fiction, but.. Tommy, did either of these happen to you?” 

.. Alright, maybe he did have something to hide. He technically wasn’t lying if he stayed silent, right? How where you supposed to say ‘Yeah, I fucking died?’

“Tommy..” Eret’s voice sounded like he was scolding a child, trying to shake some information out of them. “Tommy, I understand if you’re trapped in some weird ass loop thing, but we now have to focus on the more recent task. Your answer to this would really help, you know?” 

“.. Wilbur.. kinda did go through with blowing up the festival..” Tommy admitted sheepishly. He didn’t want to seem weak, and he was unsure if he did actually  _ die,  _ but.. what else happened? There was no way he would have survived that shit. 

Eret groaned. “Alright, uh- fuck. Is it alright to ask you what happened, from this very moment to the explosion?” 

“I made a list, it’s back at Pogtopia..” Tommy stated. Honestly, now that some things were off his chest, he wanted sleep. A real sleep, one without too much worry. 

“I don’t think I can read your handwriting, Tommy. We can walk back while you do so, the sun is starting to set anyways, but I’d rather be able to understand.” 

That was.. fair. As the two trudged along the forest, Tommy explained it all. His meeting with Tubbo, the stones, his attempt at spying, him waking up with the note, the festival.. Tommy explained major events in a tiring amount of detail. Some other things he didn’t wish to share.

Pogtopia came into view. The blond was practically stumbling, but Eret had one last thing to say. 

“Thank you, Tommy. You look like you need rest.. don’t worry about too much. I’ll have some sort of plan by tomorrow morning. Doesn’t mean we have to do it, though.” 

Tommy only nodded, and before he knew it, found himself in his bed. Sleep crashed onto him almost instantly, not exactly processing the events of today. That’ll be something for the future. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse why Eret knows these things but I can probably whip one up if I think hard enough.


	14. Traitors and Potions

Tommy slept well. Or, as well as one could in his situation. He always wanted to be known as a capable person, striving to strike a name into history. This meant he had to be somewhat independent; making his own plans, whether they flunked or not. Nonetheless, it was nice to not have the responsibility for once. 

Though, that lack of responsibility did come with the exchange of telling Eret everything. Tommy did gain some valuable information, but Eret had already snitched on him once. That was before Wilbur was talking to Dream, though. He seemed like, for a moment, he was really opposed to Wilbur’s idea. 

Tommy finally dragged himself out of bed, straightening up, and then walked down towards the pair of glowing eyes he could see before the owner’s actual form. 

Eret’s eyes were odd, the first thing coming to mind after you get over the initial shock is the stories they told kids to keep them from running off in the woods at night. Tales of a man named Herobrine or some shit, Tommy never really believed them.

However, his eyes were eerily similar to how the story described it. What seemed to be pupilless eyes accompanied with a pulsing glow. The shades obviously hid them most of the time, but Eret was without them at the moment. 

As Tommy approached closer, Eret waved him over, giving a half-hearted “mornin’” 

The blond mumbled something in response, glancing at the large parchment sprawled out in front of the two. Neat, organized handwriting was spread across it, but Tommy couldn’t honestly be bothered to read it at the moment. 

“Saw Wilbur this morning, as you expected. He wasn’t expecting me though, busted him with a pickaxe.” Eret stated, not looking up. “Took it from him, though by his lack of concern, he probably had more hidden away on-site.” 

“Of course..” Tommy mumbled. “What now? You said you’d have some sort of plan.” 

Eret tapped the parchment. “This is the plan, loosely. There’s still some dull areas, and if I’m honest, there are always going to be dull areas. Wilbur isn’t some robot, after all. He can make his own decisions, whether he knows about the looping or not.”

“You didn’t tell him though, right?” Tommy asked wearily, and was temporarily relieved when he shook his head. 

“No, unnecessary drama. If anything, it would encourage him to change his plan entirely. Anyways, you met with Tubbo today, yeah?” 

Tommy nodded, but his expression changed into confusion when Eret shoved him a small, glass vial. A thick gray potion sloshed inside. 

Eret glanced over, holding back a hearty laugh at Tommy’s expression. They had only a few days before everything would be blown to smithereens, and Eret was about to break down and laugh. 

“Tommy, it isn’t poison. I’m-“ Eret caught himself, an amuse tone drastically changing the mood, “I’m sure you’ve never seen one of these. I believe Tubbo has though, give it to him.” 

“First off, stop fucking laughing. We could all die, some of us again, and you’re just having a lovely time. Secondly, what are you going to be doing, then?” Tommy glared at the man, slowly grabbing the vial. 

“Wilbur is going to need a whole lot of convincing from both parties. If I can catch him as he comes back, I’ll chip in some time. You better leave soon, I assume?”

“.. Yeah. I guess I’ll see you, then.” Tommy half-mumbled before walking out with the vial. When he reached his horse, he was careful to place it in the saddlebag, double checking the cork. 

He rode off to where he saw Tubbo last time. Eret seemed nice  _ enough _ , sure, but it was still very unsettling how adaptable he was. Sure, Tommy wanted some sort of help, somebody to back him up, but he wasn’t expecting a thought-out plan, created without his overview. 

It wasn’t like he felt there was something sinister about it.. but it just felt  _ wrong. _ The fact that he knew about the loops, was quick to believe him in the first place, it was a little too quick for Tommy. Hell, it felt like Eret had a better hold on his own problem. 

Perhaps that was his own fault, though. Perhaps if he hadn’t told Eret about everything, then he would be the one following blindly to, quite possibly, his doom. (Tommy was unsure if the jab of guilt he got from that thought was justified.)

Like last time, Tommy waved Tubbo over to the bench, tying up the horse on the nearest pole. Instead of messing around, the blond cut straight to the point with his brunette friend. 

“Look, it’s nice to see you, Tubbo.” Tommy greeted rather quickly, taking a seat on the bench. The fact he told Eret about his own issues before Tubbo wasn’t something that he didn’t think about. 

“You too, man. What’s up?” Tubbo greeted, as lighthearted as ever. 

“We need to talk, since you haven’t been to Pogtopia since you delivered that message about the festival-“ Tommy started, only to be cut off. 

“Oh yeah, the festival! What did you think of that? I have a speech, Tommy! It’s going to be great, you kn-“ 

It was Tommy’s turn to interrupt. “No, it’s not going to be great. Long story short; Wilbur has gone nuts and wants to blow it all up. Including everybody who attends. It’s going to be a fucking bloodbath.” 

Tubbo takes a spare second to process this. “What.. what about Eret.” 

“Eret is with me, Tubbo. Neither one of us want this, but Dream- Dream is siding and funding Wilbur with all the explosives they can get their hands on.” Tommy pressed those words out frantically. He hadn’t forgotten about the vial, but, according to last time, he may need to hold onto it until later. 

“Surely you can stop him then, Tommy? If you and Eret work together, because I  _ highly  _ doubt Dream would actually do any dirty work..” Tubbo trailed off, taking his friend’s silent head shake as a sign to silence himself. 

“It’s not that simple, but god I wish it was.” Tommy muttered. “Look, you can’t trust a lot of people right now, I certainly don’t know who to trust.” 

“I mean, Eret didn’t do anything wrong, you can trust him, right?” 

Tommy bit back a response that he used to be accustomed to say. This was a different timeline, he wasn’t exactly a traitor or a king full of shit. How was he supposed to explain everything again? It would only lead to more questions, more confusion on both of those parts. Tubbo was a great friend, and he wasn’t necessarily dumb, he just had.. his Tubbo moments. The joking term felt foul in his brain. 

“Yeah, it’s just.. hard. That’s all.” Tommy responded simply. 

Tubbo didn’t question if he was lying. Both of them sat in a slight silence. Tommy finally stood up, opened the saddlebag, and carefully grabbed the potion. 

“I have no fucking clue what this is, but Eret wanted me to give this to you.” He admitted, handing over the vial. 

Tubbo took it, studying the liquid inside. Tommy just stared, unsure what to do with himself. The slightly confused look on the brunette’s face was concerning, but it melted away at one point, right before Tubbo tapped the vial against his palm with moderate force. 

It wasn’t enough to crack it, of course, but enough for it to be something odd to do. The reaction was even stranger, as the potion’s consistency stiffened, almost into a solid, before changing back into a thick liquid. Was that even safe to drink? 

The sudden excitement on Tubbo’s face meant it probably was. 

“Potion of the Turtle Master..” the smaller brunette whispered, almost entranced. 

“I’m sorry, potion of the  _ what? _ That doesn’t sound too good, Tubbo. If you want, I can splash him with the liquid instead, if it’s really bad-“ Tommy was slightly concerned. What fucking good does that potion do? Turtles were boring, slow, and quite honestly, didn’t pack a punch. 

“No! For a short amount of time, it reduces up to eighty percent of damage. The side-effect of slowness is horrible, but if combined with a strong enough swiftness potion, almost cancels out..” Tubbo explained quickly. 

Tommy lost him right after the ‘reduces up to eighty percent of damage.’ Like stated, Tubbo wasn’t dumb. He knew some things better than Tommy, that was sure. 

“I’ll let him know you said thank you.. I should really leave. Have to fix the whole Wilbur deal, you know?” Tommy stated slowly, Tubbo nodding.

Tommy untied his horse, waving one last good-bye to Tubbo before riding back to Pogtopia. 

==o==

When he arrived home, Eret and Wilbur were debating. Wilbur was, of course, going nuts. Eret seemed civil though, as if the words bounced right off him. 

Neither of them seemed to notice his entrance. They both seemed to be fairing pretty well, (and by both he meant Eret,) so Tommy went off to do something on his own for the time being. 

Namely, staring at a stone wall, fearing the inevitable.


	15. Burning Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double upload today, since one chapter is so short :)

“He seems really set on lighting the TNT the moment he has a chance too.” Eret admitted as soon as he walked up to Tommy. There was no sugar coating. 

“Seems ‘bout right.” Tommy said absently, blank of any real confidence. “He try to tell you nobody is on our side; that everybody is lying to us?” 

Eret was still for a moment. “.. No. Is that what the other morning about?” 

“Yeah, uh- Tubbo sends his thanks, I think. Was real excited about the potion, wouldn’t shut up about what it does.” Tommy quickly tried to change the subject, giving a half-hearted smile

“Ah, I can  _ definitely  _ imagine that.” Eret caught the que, nodding with a small smile in return.

Tommy laughed joylessly, “Yeah, bet you can. Rambling on about deflection n’ shit. Where did you get it?” 

Eret shrugged nonchalantly, “Was originally going to use it for the war, the one for freedom, but it’s really expensive to make, and we were short on time. If Tubbo is going to be the signal without, y’know, knowing he’s the signal, he’s going to need it.” 

Tommy nodded. “How’s the.. plan?” 

“It’s always going to have gray areas, like I said before, but there’s a few things I want to go over with you.” Eret paused, “How would you feel about a bit of a camping?” 

“This is  _ not  _ the time for-“ 

“Nono, hear me out..” 

==o== 

A crackle of fire sounded calmly in front of Tommy, who couldn’t help to sit slightly cross-armed. It was small enough, and windy enough, that a pillar of smoke wouldn’t give away their location to random adventurers. 

Eret poke at the embers, laying another small branch on top. Tommy was basically radiating annoyance, and it was clear that the older brunette wouldn’t take the bait to ask why. 

Therefore, Tommy broke first. “I can’t believe that in a little over twenty-four hours, it is quite possible the land we fought for and the people who now live on it will be  _ nuked _ , and you want to sit around and make s’mores.” 

Eret chuckled. “Tommy, it sounds like your pouting. No matter how much you wish for it, we cannot possibly make s’mores. We have none of the ingredients.”

“Why you piece of sh-“ 

Eret held a hand up for silence with a signature laugh, shifting the embers one last time. His face suddenly turned a bit more serious, “We need to camp to catch Wilbur when he moves the explosives over. It’s a nice time to chat, too. The fire just adds warmth.” 

“Alright, Mr. Know-it-all.” Tommy grumbled, unfolding his arms. “What about your plans?” 

Eret nodded. “Plan here is to catch Wilbur as he starts transporting the TNT. Least we can do is follow him, but if we’re able to get a hold of the explosives, throw them into the river. Even if Wilbur dives in after it, I doubt the fuses will be as easy to light afterwards.” 

Tommy nodded slowly, trying to take in the information. Eret was smart, no doubt about it, but whether or not he could process this level of planning may have been a fault. Nonetheless, he continued. 

“If we know where he hides, we can maybe move and get rid of some of the explosives. Worse comes to worse, Wilbur lights the TNT, you get the fuck out of there, and the explosives is maybe half as bad.” 

Something rustled in the bushes, but after a moment, nothing seemed to appear. Probably the wind or some sort of smaller animal..

Tommy, of course, bounced back into the conversation with some objections. “What about the withers? The explosion left.. what about Wilbur?” 

“Withers are surprisingly easy to defeat if people are prepared. The more TNT we get rid of, the less dangerous the explosion will be.” Eret paused, before slowly adding, “I think.. Tommy, let's be honest, I think Wilbur is too far gone.” 

“No! He’s not-“ Tommy began. 

“Tommy, listen. His greed and ambition has gotten too much of a hold on him.” 

“Sounds oddly familiar, don’t you think?” The words leapt out of his mouth before he could take them back. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to take it back.

Tommy watched Eret’s face tense up with confusion, only to be taken aback with realization of what he was referencing. Both of them shared a bitter silence. The crackle of flames was an annoying, nerve-building sound shared between them, one he couldn’t just yank out of a jukebox to stop. 

“I wouldn’t do that, you know.. not.. not here.” Eret’s voice was slightly broken, unsure where to start. 

Tommy wasn’t sure if he was referring to the camp or the timeline, but the response was blunt nonetheless. “But, you did. Different timeline or not, it was still you who accepted the deal, it was still you who pushed the button.” 

“... Button?” 

Tommy suddenly noticed that the fight for freedom must have been drastically different from their two perspectives, and it was a story untold. Perhaps in a different situation they would sit down and talk about it, but not now. Tommy left him in silence. 

Eret finally suggested they slept in shifts, offering to take the first. The younger quickly declined, not getting up from his log. 


	16. Restless Hammock

Eret couldn’t sleep. He felt like he fucked up. Some part of him that he couldn’t control, he didn’t even know about until recently, screwed up royally. (Quite literally, too. Apparently he was king in a different timeline. It sounded like much more work.) 

He sat up in his makeshift hammock, watching Tommy poke a stick idly in the embers, soon setting it aflame. 

Eret hoped he could make something up to him.. somehow. Quite honestly, when he made the plan, it wasn’t just to save Manberg or his friends. While those things were a huge factor, he had more of an intention to lift some stress off of Tommy’s shoulder. 

The night before everything started, the four of them had been laughing. True laughter, ones of friends and comrades. It seemed that the lighthearted mood had carried through to the next morning with Wilbur and Techno, but not so much Tommy. 

His stance was automatically off, dazed. As he made his way down the rumble, the sheer sound of Wilbur’s voice made him freeze. Confusion radiated from Tommy that morning, but not just that. 

Hatred, he could read an undying hatred from the teenager’s eyes as they met his. A hatred so strong that he may as well have slapped him. Eret was, quite honestly, taken aback and scared. 

Mere days ago, Tommy honestly looked like he wanted to murder him. The time looping was a surprise, but what could he do other than believe him? It was one of the only times he’s seen the blond truly.. vulnerable. Even if it was just for a short amount of time..

Everything made sense now, though. He hated it, but it made sense. There was nothing he could do with this newfound knowledge other than to help. Help, and try to redeem himself. He honestly thought it was working for a while.

Apparently not. 

He settled back into his hammock, falling into a restless sleep. 


	17. Morning Ember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it’s that dreaded chapter that comes with every loop.  
> I’ll say it now, temporary character death warning, fire :) 
> 
> Edit 1: Updated notes

They switched shifts later that night, tensions still a bit high. It was a short conversation, the fire had died down almost entirely from the night before, thin trails of smoke blowing away in the wind. 

“Tommy. Tommy, Wilbur’s awake, get up.” 

Tommy pulled himself off the hammock, closer to falling out of it than he would have liked to admit. Wilbur suddenly appeared from the brush, an assortment of explosives in hand. 

Eret began to stride up to him casually, Tommy following sluggishly. He would wake up in time, he supposed. Especially if they were about to throw punches. 

Wilbur stopped his own walking, staring at the two in silence. One, two, three heartbeats of stunning silence. His face was deadpanned other than his tired, baggy eyes. 

Eret opened his mouth to speak. Wilbur whipped out a match. 

_ Oh,  _ he pulled out a fucking match. With a single strike against his pants, the tip caught fire. A sickening smirk carried across Wilbur’s face. 

“Don’t even try. Techno overheard you both last night. In fact, the both of you are going to go back to sleep, or roast some food over the morning embers. Wouldn’t want to end your camping trip early, hm?” 

In any other circumstance, Tommy would have called bullshit on his threats. He’s learned, however. Wilbur clearly, when all was said and done, had little hesitation to kill people he knew. 

“Wilbur-“ Tommy started, though he already knew it was no use. 

“Sit back down.” Wilbur hissed through gritted teeth, giving extra emphasis on the word ‘sit,’ “I won’t have you two fucking with the plan. If you’re not with me, you may as well join the others. I’m having  _ mercy,  _ that’s what you want? Right?” 

Tommy and Eret exchanged a glance. Their thoughts were unspoken, but shared.  _ Can we take him?  _

Whether he read their minds or he was getting impatient, Wilbur pulled the match teasingly close to a fuse. 

Nobody backed down immendately. The three stood in a stalemate. 

Two against one. Two unequipped soldiers with a passion to protect the home they created. The other had an equal amount of passion to destroy it, and a dozen explosives in his hands. 

To a blind eye, one would think they were always sworn enemies. It was hard to believe that yes, not too long ago, these three could have been considered family, brothers in arms. 

…

Tommy was passionate, but at the end of the day, he wasn’t dumb. He stood down, Eret quick to follow. 

The match kept burning. Wilbur hesitated with a smirk. 

“It’s too easy.”

Flame met fuse anyways. Quickly, the lit TNT was messily placed back into the crate, before being tossed at the two, who already seemed ready to run. 

Eret quickly took the lead in the running. Tommy wasn’t too far behind, hissing swears under his breath. 

The explosion caused him to get knocked off his feet, dirt flying out in several directions. 

Dry leaves and wood quickly caught fire. Trees soon followed, Tommy forced to scramble back on his feet. The smell of smoke was horrible. Wilbur was nowhere to be seen. 

“Fuck-  _ fuck! _ ” Eret swore aloud, glancing back at the damage. The distance between the two was now major, apparently the older man must have had better balance. 

The smoke was getting thick now, seeping into their lungs. Running was harder.. where were they running? Away from the fire.. 

The crackling grew louder, pounding into his eardrums. He had to keep running, despite the lack of oxygen. He had to-

Eret screamed. Tommy looked up, distracted. He doesn’t notice the burning branch falling. He doesn’t notice until it falls on top of him, causing searing white pain. 

_ “Tommy!”  _

==o==

While he woke with a start, it was much less confusing than last time. Same gray walls, same bed, no wounds or burns. It didn’t stop him from swearing under his breath. 

Something lifted its head from the corner of the room, four-legged and with a rough coat of reddish brown fur. Amber eyes stared into his soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh boy. The ending feels a little scuffed, and so does the next loop. The ones after that, though.. Real excited.  
> Took a day break, hope you don’t mind <3  
> Minx’s LOH last night had me cackling.
> 
> Once again, if you can guess the loop, I’ll let you know. It’s very clichè imo, so I’m going to have to throw in extra angst to keep it alive? Either that or it’s going to flop.


	18. Clingy Companion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jdnjenisnis I almost feel bad that it’s not Fundy now   
> A loop where fundy is literally just a fox chilling with them sounds cool,,

Tommy felt himself moving back defensively. With its long snout and canine-like structure, it almost looked like a wolf. It was much smaller though. It’s ears were long and pointed, too. 

He had never seen a coyote, but had heard of them. As it stood with an odd, high-pitched yip, Tommy could spot more of a gray pattern lining its back. 

It trotted closer to him. He found himself inching away, not out of fear, but uncertainty. It wasn’t a Labrador or Shepherd, after all. It was a wild animal, one that would probably bite your hand off. Why.. Why was one approaching him, down in a ravine? 

It placed their head on the bed with a slight creak. Tommy looked down, utterly confused. 

“What the fuck..” 

==o==

It wouldn’t stop following him, either. Whether it was around the room, or even as he left into the main bit. The canine only followed, just behind him. It was.. really fucking weird. 

As much as he’d like to process the trailing coyote, or hell, even what the hell happened beforehand, he could hear that familiar chatter. He tried his best not to frown, having to start all over again. 

“Tommy, You and Audax are awake.” 

The strange name flew in one ear and out the other at the sight of Wilbur. Tommy tried his best not to clench his fists, and was promptly distracted by a magpie perched on the taller man’s shoulder. The blue-green feathers glinted slightly in the torchlight, beady eyes darting to and fro. 

“Yeah.. what’s up?” Tommy finally replied, eyes panning the room. Techno stood with them as well, a wild boar pacing behind him. What the fuck, did they all decide to find some exotic-ass pets in their exile to make the other side jealous? 

“Schlatt has an announcement, we should head over so we don’t miss anything.” 

_ Right, alright. Keep it together, Tommy. Third time's the charm, right? _

“I, uh- I’m probably going to stay here. Horses needin’ me.” Techno responded. Tommy didn’t mind, clearly, he had sided with Wilbur last time. Techno had  _ snitched _ , ruining the plan. Making it quickly turn south, so quickly that Tommy isn’t too sure how the fuck they got there. 

“Alright then, we’ll see you soon, Techno. Assuming you’re going, Tommy?” 

He wanted to say no, he wanted to just ignore the whole situation. If he pretended it wasn’t happening, then maybe it’ll all disappear. 

That was wishful thinking. Holding back a regretful sigh, the blond nodded. He was faintly aware of the canine behind him giving a relaxed yawn. 

And, for the third time, Tommy left with Wilbur to listen to the same old speech. He honestly had no idea how to feel. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue why I chose a coyote.   
> If you couldn’t tell is an odd mix of Daemon/Spirit animals/familiars


	19. Barking Laughs

If Wilbur was trying to make small talk, Tommy didn’t notice. He needed a moment.. or ten, honestly. So much had happened in a short amount of time.. 

The campfire. Tommy had been, admittedly, a bit too harsh towards the end there. He believed, truly thought, that Wilbur could be saved, that he could be redeemed. But now, he was.. unsure. Each loop, each weird little twist, Wilbur seemed to be both the same person, but drastically different. The Wilbur he used to know wouldn’t throw lit explosives at comrades. 

Tommy, though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, almost felt bad for Eret. They never really had true closure, a true apology. He did seem like he tried to help, though.. It sucked. Was Eret alright? .. Did it matter?

It probably mattered. Was it wrong not to feel much guilt? He was the one who got crushed by a giant, flaming branch. It’s not like he was there to see the aftermath, anyways. Was that selfish to think that way? Shit- wait, he couldn’t go down that path of thought.

A cold, almost leathery object touched one of his palms, and he pulled it away from his side quickly. With a quick, almost angered, look down, he was reminded of his current situation. The coyote looked a bit shocked, though it’s body language quickly relaxed. Holy fuck, it seemed to almost give a dopey grin. 

The whole thing was dumb. Who the fuck spends their time with some exotic pets when’s there’s a government to overthrow? If you were going to be some exotic animal, why a coyote, and not a cool-looking wolf? 

Tommy suddenly fell, reaching out to grab onto something, to no avail. A loud mix of yipping and barking sounding not too far away from his face. It sounded like some weird laughter. 

“Tommy, I told you this before. You have to take Audax out some more, clearly a ravine isn’t the best place. Please get them to be quiet, we’re almost there.” Wilbur half-scolded as he pulled himself to his feet. The magpie fluttered not too far behind, clearly not causing as much trouble. 

Right.. Audax must be the canine. He remembered the other time he heard the name, too. With a glare, the coyote gave one last, muffled yap before silencing. 

A gray tower outlined in obsidian appeared quickly on the horizon. For multiple reasons, Tommy wished it hadn’t. 

==o==

_ Tap, tap tap.  _

Tommy wasn’t paying attention to the speech, despite peeking out from the tower’s ledge. Instead, he found himself glancing around at people in slight shock. 

Schlatt was missing his signature horns, but rather, a large ram stood by his side. It’s thick coat was an off-white, hazel eyes staring off into space. Quackity, who stood by his side, had a seagull that was idly preening his feathers. Tubbo was occupied by something too small to see; Tommy wasn’t able to spot anything. 

  
  


His eyes turned to the crowd. Niki was seated towards the back, looking like she was angrily muttering something under her breath. A deep grey hare seemed to pace in front of her. Eret was a little closer, Tommy couldn’t help but to frown a bit in regret, even as he watched some weird ferret-weasel thing slink it’s way up onto the king’s shoulder. 

His eyes quickly grazed over the rest towards Fundy. As expected, the burning orange ears were gone, much lime Schlatt’s horns, but.. Tommy didn’t spot any fox, or any other creature. In fact, Fundy looked a little glum, like he didn’t wish to be.. anywhere. 

Mostly everybody had some sort of animal.. thing. That was clearly the odd twist in this.. loop. Tommy was starting to despise that word. 

A hand on his shoulder pulled him out of thought. Wilbur pulled his hand away, giving a slight nod. The speech was over. 

It was time for everything to fall downhill again.


	20. Chirping Cries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m genuinely stuck between two ways this loop could go..   
> I’ll figure it out ig

Tommy had time to think of his responses. It was clear to him that if the points weren’t strung together into an equally strong argument, then Wilbur probably wouldn’t listen. They started to walk again.

“Tommy.. Are we the bad guys?” 

There was that line, the one that pointed to the downward spiral. The blond took a slight breath, before stating firmly, “No. I mean, you don’t see us exiling people- turning friends against each other. We don’t-“ 

Wilbur cut him off, causing Tommy to clench his fists.

“Right but.. he was elected. The people saw potential in him, and while he might have been a bit too sudden with the whole exile thing, he is making progress for L’man- Manberg.” Wilbur stopped walking and stared at Tommy, and with the magpie eerily copying his gaze, he felt his confidence falter. 

“.. I mean, Clearly others are unhappy. Niki, for example..” Tommy heard himself trailing off, and pulled his hand away when he felt the coyote place it’s nose on his palm again. He could see Audax slink back from the corner of his eye. 

“Yeah, ok, Niki. Who else? Don’t try to loophole this shit and say Fundy or Eret, because one of them is a traitor, and the other one dug their own grave of misery.” 

Tommy bit back his words. The logical, obvious answer was Tubbo. That was the low-hanging fruit Wilbur wished for him to grab at, only to poison it. Secondly, he was left curious by the whole  _ ‘Dug their own grave of misery’ _ thing. 

A low laugh was mixed with a chirping call of a magpie. “Glad we see the same thing, Tommy. I don’t know about you, but  _ I  _ think we might be the villains.” He stated nonchalantly, “And if that’s the case.. so be it, you know? We can either be the most pitiful founding fathers, or the most badass villains.” 

They began walking again.

“Wilbur, what would people think-“ 

“Who cares what people think, Tommy? Clearly, they saw us as some dead weight, because we’re out here! Let’s prove them wrong, Tommy. Let’s cause so much damage to that place..” Wilbur trailed off himself, either running out of words, or drifting off into his own sadistic fantasy. 

“Wil, we founded that place. The villain is supposed to be those who opposed us- Dream, George, Sapnap, n’ all them?” Tommy found himself finishing his previous statement. “Not only will we be the most pitiful founding fathers, but we’d also be a villain. Nobody.. Nobody likes a villain.” 

Wilbur was silent for once, and Tommy took that opportunity to strengthen his argument. “If you destroy it- and especially at the festival, because I  _ know _ that’s what your fucking thinking- we’d just be as bad as Schlatt, and I  _ know  _ that you understand that.” 

They were by Pogtopia at this point, Wilbur sighed. “Tommy, just because I understand something doesn’t mean I agree with it.” 

And that was it. Tommy let the older man walk back into the ravine, Magpie fluttering behind. He glanced down towards Audax, who was semi-circling within a nearby radius. He rolled his eyes, watching the coyote’s movements. 

He got bored quickly, and decided it was better off to rest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also some people did mention it; Fungi was fundy’s familiar. I’m only saying this because for the sake of the story, it’s just a detail, but if you’re curious, just know that Sapnap is no longer allowed to go anywhere in this loop w/o somebody from the DreamSMP side to restrain him.. just in case.
> 
> ALSO 20 CHAPTERS IN?? The support you gives give me is crazy! I promise I have good things planned, be it soon or more towards the end :)


	21. Reoccurring Smoke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felt burned out a bit, have a small dreaming sequence that adds to a bit of the familiar lore I guess :)

_ Embers. Morning dew, campfire smoke.  _

A gentle breeze pulled itself through the trees. 

_ Footsteps, shuffling, low chuckles.  _

The wind picked up, Tommy could make out a familiar camping scene. Two hammocks were strung to nearby trees. 

_ Crackling of flames, hissing of fuses.  _

_ Fleeing footsteps.  _

His footsteps. Tommy found himself running involuntarily away from the crackle of flames. Too slow. He seemed to be running too slow no matter what was happening. 

_ Smoke. Roaring fires.  _

__ Unwanted warmth could be felt on his back, clinging onto his clothing. Too slow. He had to run faster.. 

_ “Tommy!”  _

Flames engulfed him, burning heat following. Crackling filled his ear, Eret’s ghostly voice lingering. 

… 

The heat stopped. He was standing in an all-too familiar cave. Wilbur stood in front of him, a haunting look ridden on his face. TnT laid behind him, far more than Tommy remembered. 

He opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out. 

Wilbur waited. 

Tommy tried again. He couldn’t even scream if he wanted to. 

Another low chuckle.  _ “It’s too easy.”  _

Hissing of yet another fuse. Tommy felt like he was stuck in ice or.. glue or some shit. 

The room froze in time. 

A coyote stepped out of the darkness. Perhaps twice the size of a normal coyote, the one that followed him all day. Tommy found that he could move again, not that he was sure if he wanted to. 

With a slight yip, the coyote left through a narrow pathway. Tommy found himself following. What else was he supposed to do? 

… 

He woke up slowly, stone walls pulling into focus. He was dreaming.. a nightmare? It was odd, though. Everything seemed so.. realistic. 

Tommy glanced over to the canine, who only stared at him with knowing eyes. This shit was really weird..


	22. Circling Canine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna out pizza the hut.

Oddly enough, Tommy felt well rested. He didn’t feel drained like one normally does after a nightmare of that intensity. That didn’t subside the panic though, and he found himself steadying his breathing. 

The coyote, (who he should probably start calling Audax,) only watched him, unmoving. It wasn’t a dead, blank stare, like he’d seen Wilbur do time and time again, but more one with slight concern. Tommy stared right back, in slight disbelief. 

It was probably some odd coincidence. Clearly, the nightmare wished for him to suffer with all the ill-logic the timeloop was throwing him through. A single bark made him jump, reconsidering. 

He couldn’t reconsider for too long, as all the rest of the shit was still going on. 

As soon as Tommy stood, Audax slinked out of the room. A shrill cry of a bird echoed out as he followed, wings fluttering. That had to be the magpie. Wilbur probably knew he was awake..

“Tommy.. You’re awake. I hope Kithara didn’t startle you too much.” 

Kithara.. the bird? Had to be. 

“I hope you slept well, there’s a lot to go over.” Wilbur continued, with a sly grin. Tommy shook his head quickly. There was no way he was going to fall into this conversation unprepared. 

“There’s nothing to go over, Wilbur. I’m not helping you blow up Manberg, what’s left of our home.” Tommy was faintly aware of Audax’s nose against his leg, he didn’t flinch away this time. 

“Oh, but there is so much we could do, Tommy. Don’t you want to see your enemies engulfed in flames? Don’t you want chaos, one that could put us in the lead?” Wilbur was really pushing the villain role, and while yes, he did want Schlatt gone.. this was too violent. 

Look at him, Tommyinnit, who often said “I’m going to start stabbing shit,” thinking something is  _ too  _ violent. 

Silence overcame the two as Audax suddenly walked in tight circled around his legs. Even Wilbur glanced down at the canine. 

One, two, three loops. Then with a loud bark, bounded over to the stairs leading out. Wilbur muttered something he couldn’t hear, the coyote looking back at Tommy, waiting. 

It took him a moment, but he caught the cue. Tommy sprinted after Audax, out of Pogtopia. Wilbur yelled something, perhaps about how rude it was to just suddenly leave him behind. 

It didn’t matter. What was an explosive-obsessed man without, well, explosives?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Genuinely curious; Should I get a twitter account for this? I don’t currently have one but if the demand is high enough..


	23. Cat and Dog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter seems odd to me and I have no clue why.

At first, the forest was empty. Wilbur, for some odd reason, didn’t follow him. It wasn’t like he was complaining, though. If Tommy didn’t have to deal with his bullshit, then so be it. 

Audax rested on his side, slightly leaning against his legs. He was still unsure about the coyote, but clearly it wasn’t doing any obvious harm. It was just really fucking odd. 

Audax’s ears perked before Tommy saw anything. However, moments later, a tree branch rustled. Upon squinting his eyes, he could make out the figure of some sort of.. feline. The canine next to him tensed slightly. 

The foliage bounced as the slightly-larger-than-normal cat, one he could now infer was a bobcat, slinked into the small clearing. A masked figure followed behind, and despite the forest floor littered with branches and leaves, made no noise. Must of been a Dream thing he’d never noticed. 

“Tommy.. Where is- Is Wilbur here?” The man’s voice was slow, but not hostile. Tommy considered shrugging off the question. 

“... Yes, but Dream, he’s not his normal self. You have to- Don’t give him what he wants.” Tommy’s voice was hushed, eyes darting back and forth from the guest and the entrance of Pogtopia. If a familiar face or magpie appeared, he couldn’t say anything dangerous. Last time a plan was discussed in the open.. it didn’t go well. 

“Tommy, I’m here to see Wilbur. I.. understand you have your..  _ concerns,  _ but-“ 

Wilbur walked out of the entrance casually, magpie fluttering behind. Tommy adjusted his posture slightly, like a child trying to hide what they were doing when a parent walked into a room. 

Clearly, the brunette knew anyways. “Ah, Dream! Good to see you again, ol’ pal. Hope Tommy gave you a  _ warm  _ welcome,” He shot a look spiked with venom at Tommy, clearly a ‘ _ we-will-talk-later-you-little-shit’  _ look. 

There was no way Tommy was going to let him do that. 

“Yeah, he was fine. I love what you did with the place.. is that a new leaf on that tree there?” Dream’s response was sarcastic, but he didn’t rat Tommy out. He slowly realized that the masked man was testing the waters. 

“Alright- yeah, very funny, Dream.” It almost sounded like Wilbur was short on breath, before continuing normally. “Look, question for you. Is Schlatt a good leader?” 

Dream shrugged. “He’s more ambitious than you were. He wants to expand onto our land.” 

Wilbur shook his head, repeating the statement. “No, is he a good leader? Is he leading Manberg well?” 

“Wil-“ 

Tommy was cut off with a harsh hand being held up in his direction, Wilbur’s focus was otherwise on Dream. 

“Not as.. ideal as you were, no.” Dream finally answered. Tommy bit the inside of his cheek in frustration. Sure, just boost the man’s ego. 

“Exactly. We- I want Manberg gone. Completely gone. You see.. if I do get Manberg back, I will be ambitious. So, let’s blow that hellhole up, you know? Leave  _ nothing  _ left for either of us to claim.” Wilbur started to ramble, Tommy gritted his teeth. Dream seemed to be genuinely considering this, the bobcat staring blankly as the over-excited magpie. Audax gave a low growl. 

“What you’re suggesting is..?” Dream tried to pick up on something, and Tommy butted in, earning a dirty look from his former President.

“He wants you to supply him, Dream. He wants to- He was to blow the place up but he needs your help. Tell him- Tell him it’s crazy and immoral!” The words almost jumbled together. 

Dream cocked a brow, leaving Wilbur to scrape up a quick recovery. “Yes, Dream. I need your TNT. I know you have some- I can assume quite a bit. Tommy and I aren’t quite seeing the same thing here, you know? We put ourselves in a-“ 

“Villain position, I fucking know,” Tommy shot back angrily, catching Audax’s fur spike and Kithara’s feathers ruffle. “Dream. Last time you became a villain, no? Don’t side with a villain again,  _ please. _ ” 

Silent tension. Dream’s mask didn’t help Tommy read this expression. Wilbur looked like he was about to strangle him. Perhaps that was good. Perhaps if he did die to Wilbur’s hands, and inevitably loop, Dream would see the right side. 

That didn’t mean he  _ wanted  _ to die, and he pushed away the thought sourly. 

“Tommy, I think it’s time you walked away..” 

It was Dream’s voice that cut through the tension. The younger blond opened his mouth to speak, then closed it quickly. Nobody wanted to side with him. 

He turned to walk away, but caught Audax staring at the bobcat, the two just.. staring at each other. No tension, just an exchange of glances. 

The coyote soon turned, and with heavy regret, the pair wandered back into Pogtopia’s stone structures. 


	24. Misty Trees

There were still many hours of the day. Tommy fiddled his fingers slightly as he sat on the rickety bed he was beginning to hate. He was beginning to hate a lot of things, from words to objects to.. people. 

It was a common saying that hate was a strong word. Old Tommy didn’t care, old Tommy— the boy he used to be before the exile— would still throw around the word jokingly. Now he could list off the things he hated, truly hated, with a straight face and burning anger. The idea of looping, the same confining gray walls, explosives, traitors. 

The blond sourly noticed he thought of traitors instead of an actual person. Eret, at first, seemed like an egotistical bastard, using them and the country they all swore to protect to raise his own status. And, while yes, that action still left a bitter taste in his mouth, Eret himself didn’t seem.. like a bad person? 

Hell, if Eret turned his back on L’manberg and is considered a traitor.. What was Wilbur? A man that cannot see his own country, one that he began, rising again. A man that wanted to explode what was left of it, people and places. 

Wilbur couldn’t be a traitor.. he was just.. going through some shit. 

Tommy knew that was a lame excuse. He didn’t really care. 

His attention pulled back into reality. Gray stone walls, messy bed, Audax draped over his feet, looking like they were lost in their own thoughts. It was clear that the canine wasn’t just some weird pet, it followed him around like a puppy. Not to mention the dream he appeared in. It was almost like the coyote could sense what he was thinking, what he was experiencing. 

Audax glanced over at him with a dopey smile at that thought. Tommy snorted, “Oh, fuck off.” 

It was odd though, looking back, there were times where he was acutely aware of the animal’s reactions without even focusing on them. 

A pair of footsteps echoed. Tommy groaned slightly, knowing exactly what was going on. Of course Dream supplied the explosives. Why wouldn’t he? Why did Tommy try to convince the man, the one only wishing for destruction, to push to be a main character. He almost felt sick. As if it helped, Audax rolled onto his back, exposing his stomach into the air. Tommy ignored him. 

He slipped into another rabbit hole of thoughts. This time, about morals. Clearly, what he was trying to prevent was something immoral from happening. Not only the destruction of Manberg, but the lives of his friends. Did.. Did the lives matter if he was just going to inevitably loop anyways? (Of course it did. It had to. But.. what happened to those alternate versions of everybody after the loop? Did they live on, freeze in time, or just.. stop existing?) 

Was it immoral of him to poison in his own food if it meant gaining a chance of getting a better loop if he fucked up? Techno did have those poisonous potatoes. 

Audax nipped at his leg suddenly, causing Tommy to swear. Yeah, that thought was probably a bit too dark.. 

The echoing of footsteps turned from two pairs to one. Tommy found that odd, considering that Dream and Wilbur transport the dumb explosives a lot slower. That, or time flies when you’re debating whether or not death is a moral option. He almost felt silly. 

Wilbur suddenly peeked into the room, a slight mixture of curiosity and frustration plastered onto his face. The magpie, however, showed no respect for privacy and perched itself on an indent in the stone, located in the middle of the room. Tommy was planning on using it as a shelf. 

“Tommy.. what the fuck was that back there? I’m not dumb, you know. I can see you plotting against me-“

“Go away.” It was almost a growl escaping from Tommy, not even daring to meet Wilbur in the eyes. 

“You’re just angry you can’t get your way here. Come on, man. Grow up, live a little!” 

Tommy didn’t see how blowing up a city and innocent civilians was ‘ _ living a little _ .’ 

“I said go away, Wil. I don’t want to talk.” Correction, Tommy did want to talk. He just couldn’t. The fact Wilbur had killed him before over a discussion of a plan was bad enough, but if he told him about the looping, Wilbur would probably stab through the chest right then and there. 

Wilbur, surprisingly, shrugged it off. He left, magpie following behind. 

Having no sense of time, Tommy felt like he needed a fresh start- correction, a new day. It was probably better if he slept on a few things. 

==o== 

Everything was.. misty. Audax was by Tommy’s side, but doubled in size. He was suddenly aware that he was dreaming. 

There seemed to be.. some sort of landscape. It looked like trees loomed overhead, but a mix of some fog.. mist shit made it hard to see. A trunk nearby looked like it was made entirely out of some sort of dew. 

Audax advanced, glancing back at Tommy. This was really fucking weird, but he followed. 

For a few minutes, they walked in the direction he assumed was forwards. His footsteps echoed as if he was walking in an empty school hallway. 

A figure appeared through the horrible visibility. About his height, hooded, and masked. A bobcat lazily sat next to him. 

“What the hell, Tommy. This is- This is pathetic.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream in a dream what will he do


	25. Smokey Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue what this chapter is this loop took a turn from my notes.

Pathetic? What- wait what the fuck? 

Confusion and honestly, amusement peaked through Tommy’s tone. “I’m sorry- what?” 

Dream met him eye-to-mask, shrugging. “I mean, I’ve seen better from you and Audax, that’s all. Didn’t mean any harm.” 

What- What the fuck? First off, was this Dream like, aware in the.. dream? Secondly, this was.. normal? It had to be, nobody else was losing their shit. 

Audax placed a cold nose on his palm, and slowly, the forest ebbed into a better resolution, for a lack of better words, mist retreating. Apparently, it was at Tommy’s expense. His limbs suddenly felt a lot heavier, movements slowed. 

It was the campsite scene. His head didn’t seem to move as he wanted too, but Audax and Dream were nowhere in sight. Instead, it was more of a faint silhouette of Wilbur. Tommy hasn’t ever seen a hologram, but he was pretty sure that would have been a valid comparison. 

“‘s was too easy.” The tone was familiar to Wilbur’s, but the way it.. carried wasn’t. It was lacking.. volume? Quality? 

Oh- his feet were moving against his will now. Probably due to the hissing of a fuse- everything was the exact same, no odd dreaming logic. He could see Eret out of the corner of his eye. 

Where was Dream and Audax? Hell, was the masked man watching? Sure, he kinda wanted help, but he didn’t know that displaying the past was something he wanted them to see. 

Fire and smoke, Tommy had lived through this- was the fear he was feeling from last time, or was he actually afraid? He knew he was dreaming, but he couldn’t control shit. 

Smoke burned his lungs. Tommy swore he saw a glint of a cat’s eye somewhere in the woods. 

_ “Tommy!”  _ Again, with the horrible quality. 

He fully expected to feel the searing white pain. The crushing weight of the branch. 

Instead, before the impact, the scene froze. Instead, the place seemed to ripple, colors fading and growing into new ones. The trees merged into stone walls- Tommy groaned internally. 

Wilbur again, and that wretched pile of TNT. The scene didn’t play out, and Tommy felt forced to just.. stand there. His limbs wouldn’t move like he commanded. 

… The place rippled again, and he suddenly collapsed to the ground. He opened and closed his hands, they moved normally. He was fine. Everything was fine- why was he freaking out? He was dreaming. He could wake up- why didn’t he wake up? 

“Well, that sucks.” Was the dry comment Dream started off with. The scene was back to the misty, vague forest. Audax quickly walked to Tommy’s side. 

Dream saw everything, great. Tommy’s response was bitter, “No shit.” 


	26. Bitter shouts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short upload, been having a headache recently D:

Audax rested calmly at Tommy’s side, Dream’s bobcat pacing with no sense of urgency. 

He was forced to tell Dream everything- from the looping to explosions to, at one point, how he was feeling. He really hated that. It was like he expected him to cry, and Tommyinnit didn’t cry. If it was up to him, Dream wouldn’t have a clue what a loop even was. 

He cursed silently in his mind at the coyote, clearly that fucker had something to do with this. Put him and his memories on display like a video in a museum. Audax made a slight huff at that. 

Tommy was slightly curious how much time had elapsed in the waken world. 

Dream sighed, burying his head in his hands. “Alright- uhm. What the hell.” He spoke up finally. Tommy gave a half-hearted scoff. 

“If it uh- if it helps, I only gave Wilbur about half of the TNT I had.” Dream sounded like he was unsure of what to say, understandable as mass destruction and a concept of looping wasn’t a day-to-day thing. 

Tommy, while feeling a tad bit of relief, didn’t feel too much better. “Can I- Don’t tell Wilbur, please? I don’t- I don’t want to see how he reacts.” 

“I mean, I want to help-“

“I don’t need your help, Dream!” Tommy snapped. The older man frowned, and the blond only sighed. “I already had somebody’s help, look where that got me.” 

As if the coyote finally got a fucking clue, the sleeping world seemed to evaporate, the response from Dream slurred through the transition.

“‘m sor-ry.” 

Tommy woke slowly to confining stone walls. He fucking hated it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While you’re here, do you wanna check out a discord some friends are starting up? It’s supposed to be a community for readers, writers, and artists of MCYT Ao3! Also another way to contact me if need be :)   
> https://discord.gg/2hXKZ86sHg


	27. Bee-ing Blunt

Tommy quickly jumped out of his bed, ignoring Audax’s morning yawn. He couldn’t let the dumb mutt damage his vision on the future. He could make amends later. 

Throwing a light coat on, he stepped out into the ravine, Wilbur predictably gone. Audax followed behind. Tommy grumbled slightly, clingy dog. 

He soon reached outside of Pogtopia, glancing at the horse. Could Audax keep up with it? He wasn’t attached, he just didn’t want unwanted attention, or furthermore turn mopey like Fundy was. (He assumed that it was a little more than leaving an animal behind, though.) 

Mounting the horse, Tommy shrugged. There was only one way to figure this out. 

==o==

What the fuck, that canine was fast. Admittedly, Tommy didn’t push the stallion into full gallop, but it was still impressive the speed the smaller creature could run at. Tongue out and lolling in the wind, it looked like Audax genuinely enjoyed running as such high speed. 

He slowed early though, glancing down. 

“We- don’t do your magic shit, alright? I’d like to get some actual sleep tonight, thank you.” Tommy asked bitterly. He felt silly talking out loud to an undomesticated dog, but if that’s what got the message across, then so be it. 

He spotted Tubbo spotted on a nearby hill, once again preoccupied by some sort of smaller figure- he assumed it to be a creature. Probably some bee. Tommy called his name and waved his friend over

He waited on the bench, Audax resting in the shade of the tree behind them, catching his breath. Tubbo approached, three individual bees hovering around him. 

“Whats up, big man?” The brunette greeted with a lighthearted smile. Count on Tubbo to always keep a great mood, right? Tommy held back the thought of just having a normal conversation. One without bitterness and possible explosions, replaced with laughter and running through fields. 

Perhaps another time. 

“Tubbo, we need to talk, alright? I’m—“ he slumped down from his average posture— “Look, the festival won’t be safe. It’s going to be a horrible day-“ 

Tubbo cut him off. “What do you mean? I’m already planning my speech, and the decorations! Karl will be helping, I’m sure,” the boy grinned, bees settling in his hair. Tommy exhaled, cringing inwardly. 

“Wilbur wants to explode the place, Tubbo.” Tommy was blunt. 

“Oh,” Tubbo mumbled. After a moment of silence, he continued, “Wilbur.. He.. that doesn’t sound like him.”

Tommy bit back a snap, though his tone still sour, “Well he isn’t himself. I don’t..” He didn’t complete that sentence out loud. 

_ I don’t feel entirely safe around him.  _

Tubbo didn’t ask him to finish the last thought. He was silently grateful for that. 

There was odd tension, one mix with acceptance and shock. 

“Just.. stay safe, alright?” Tommy finally pleaded. Tubbo nodded as a response.

Audax scrambled to their feet, yipping at Tubbo. Tommy was going to shrug it off, but a hand cut him off as he went to stand. 

“Audax says they’re sorry- what happened?” 

Tommy blinked, “I’m sorry, what?” 

“Audax told Spoons to tell me to tell you that they’re sorry. Didn’t state why, probably won’t, knowing them,” Tubbo explained, as if it helped Tommy’s case. 

“It’s.. complicated. I should get back though, Wilbur might get mad.” Tommy finally stated, mounting the horse quickly. Audax seemed less willing to run.

Great, he had a weird ass dog that could control dreams, and Tubbo could speak to animals like a fictional princess. 

==o== 

Wilbur was emptying stones again. Tommy picked one up while heading to his bed, and threw it at the older man, aiming to scare him at least a little bit. A screech from a magpie confirmed his case as he already turned his back.

Audax watched him fall asleep. The teenager had a dreamless rest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I’m rushing this loop now, but there’s some good stuff coming up so, that’s fine I guess.


	28. Panicked Surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New loop by chapter 30 let’s goo 
> 
> Also I know I said it already but thank you all so much for all the kudos & comments. They really make my day and you all keep me writing. <3

His internal clock woke him up, glad to finally feel rested. While he wasn’t tired after those weird.. lucid-like dreams, it definitely felt exhausting to his mental state that he actually had to think for all those hours. With being both mentally present when your awake and asleep, it seemed to really fuck with his coping abilities. 

A slight whine peaked from that one corner of the room, Audax resting their head on their paws, failing miserably at pulling ‘puppy eyes.’ Tommy had seen cows do better. It was a good enough reminder that he never really accepted that apology, no matter the odd conditions it was given in. He rolled his eyes, moving to the coyote, dropping onto his knees. 

“You probably fucked me over, you know that, right?” He muttered, though not too darkly. It was an odd tone of acceptance, frustration, and humor. An elongated blink was all he got for an answer, probably some weird way of saying yes. 

“We got shit to do.. Don’t do it again.” He continued, frustration fading slightly just at the mere amusement of talking to an animal. He’d become one of those crazy pet owners.. It was better than leaving things on a sour note again. 

Tommy got to his feet again, Audax leaping up with perhaps too much enthusiasm. 

“Bitch.” The mumbled playfully, despite his incoming doom. He’d honestly just accepted the fact that he would probably die- things were fairly distracting this loop. 

He was soon pulled out of the decent mood he was in as he turned the corner. An explosive was thrown straight into his forehead. Tommy tried to stifle the scream that he made out of pure instinct and experience, he was unsure how well he did. 

Wilbur snatched up the piece almost as soon as he threw it, a slightly mischievous grin planted on his face. 

The explosive wasn’t lit. It was a joke. He wasn’t going to die. While Tommy’s thoughts slowed, his heart kept beating way too fast for him to feel any sort of ease. 

“Sorry, was just payback for the rock you threw, y’know? Didn’t exactly have a rock, so that was the only thing in my hand. Better than potentially busting somebody’s head open, though.” Wilbur’s response was a bit petty, but Tommy just stared dumbfounded. 

“I’ll let you do your thing then, I guess. It was just a joke..” Wilbur looked dumb as he pouted slightly in his silence, sulking off. A magpie fluttered off from a rocky outcropping, following. 

Tommy thought about following. Since the fact that Eret’s tower did exist, though, he decided against it. He needed a game plan. 

He noticed Audax was leaning against him- since when? Probably since his heart started to get normal. 

“Audax- C’mon.” 

==o==

“Wilbur has the advantage point.. no matter what we do.” Tommy sighed. He’d be pacing back and forth for hours now. Audax laid in the grass, giving slight head movements or small vocals now and again. 

If he took too long convincing Wilbur, he would light the match. If he showed any sign of aggression, Wilbur would still light the fuse. Tommy was stuck, quite honestly, of what he should do. 

Violence wouldn’t work. That was one large route he finally cut off in his mind, despite his keen sense to ‘stab shit.’ At the end of the day, even if Wilbur didn’t strike a match, could he really bring himself to lethally hurt Wil? Tommy could loop.. Wilbur probably couldn’t. 

That left negotiating or tattling. The latter was quickly ruled out because he would have been shot on sight if certain people were in Manberg. Turns out everybody was going to be in Manberg. 

… Was he trying to stop Wilbur for them, or for himself? Clearly, looping sucked, but he could just run away. He had to be doing this shit for them- but then Tommy was going to be clingy. 

Whatever, didn’t matter. 

What did matter is his plan. He had to say the right words here. Audax huffed deeply, either bored or knowing it would be a long afternoon. 

==o==

Tommy had a decent plan by nightfall. Perhaps decent was an understatement, but only time would tell. If Wilbur had a good bone in his body, if he could remember where they’d come from, just maybe he could pull this off. 

When Tommy did finally head to sleep, it was after the fact that he’d noticed he’d survived longer than last time. 

Oh, and he had a dream. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please check out the discord from two or three chapters back if you can! You don’t have to join, but it’s filled with a community of authors, readers, and artists alike! Also everybody there is really pog so..


	29. Sunny Meadows

It was an odd dream, despite a faint misty haze covering the horizon, it was.. warm. Tommy took in his surroundings. 

The first thing he noticed was the wooden planks below his feet, smooth stone walls by his side. Small windows allowed him to see the path, and the feet of anybody who would walk on it. Chests were neatly stacked along the walls, though not so neatly filled. 

An odd wave of nostalgia and longing struck him like a wave as he figured out where he was. With little to no hesitation, muscle memory that was almost forgotten carried him out of his house and into the front yard. 

Grass— along with sturdy ground— met his feet, and Tommy bit back tears. (Tommyinnit didn’t cry.) 

There was a chicken pen, but a lack of chickens, right in front of him. To his left, a small carrot farm sprouted from the cliff side. No path cut through the middle, only to the left. In fact, Wilbur’s old spherical house wasn’t even there. No fencing around the cliff side. 

Audax leapt to his side, of course larger than normal. Tommy gave a smile of mixed emotions. 

The coyote brought him to a time before L’manberg. Where life was simple, where you could build, pull pranks, and adventure in moderate peace. 

He muttered a thanks, before beginning to walk.. 

==o==

The ground wasn’t hollow below him. The land below the cliffs was normal, not dug up due to the first disk war. 

A giant lemon tree shadowed near Tommy’s base. The terrain seemed.. natural, almost barren compared to the holes and buildings that littered the area in the present day. 

There was no run-down Walmart, no Hutt’s Pizza. Punz’s house stood in the distance, without the black stone walls that were imposing, without a giant stone tower. 

In fact, on closer inspection, the glass dome wasn’t even filled with bees or hives yet. 

And then Tubbo’s house appeared into view, the one made entirely out of wood, with the elegant roof, ones he used to run across, despite his friend’s complaints. He remembers laughing in this building, playful taunting, restful nights. 

The community area didn’t change much, but Eret’s castle seemed to be gone entirely. 

==o==

Tommy would have to wake up eventually. But, with what felt like the warm sun on his skin as he sat in the small meadow by Fundy’s old house, he accepted that. 

Besides, this was probably one of the only breaks he’ll get for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As somebody who joined their streams before L’manberg (or even Wilbur,) is it bad that I miss the peacefulness of it?


	30. Cold Blade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter that has the death and explosions and such. Careful as you read on.

Tommy woke up peacefully, unsure how the dream ended. Perhaps he dozed off, or perhaps it was just weird shit dreams do to people’s memories. He was in an alright mood, only to remember that yeah, there was something important today. 

He got up quickly, not failing to notice a note nearby. Tommy could infer what it was about from previous experiences, and Audax was soon onto their own paws. Guess this was it, today it was do or die. 

Tommy rehearsed his lines quietly to himself, knowing nothing could prepare him for the real thing. Besides, if his lines were a play, then he’d be doing a fuck ton of improv. 

Unsure if he’d ever be fully ready, Tommy set off, Audax striding with purpose beside him. 

==o==

The walk was long and uneventful. His mood fluctuated between sadness, acceptance, and curiosity. Oddly enough, Tommy couldn’t source where any of those came from. Quite clearly, he was walking into a death trap. However, he’s done this before, and by the looks of things, he’d do it again. 

Finding the little hidden hole was easy once you already knew where to look. While he probably shouldn’t have, Tommy took one last glance at the crowd. 

Schlatt stood with his imposing ram, Quackity’s seagull crooned its head idly as Tubbo was going over things with the Vice President. (He couldn’t see the bees, but assumed they were there.) 

Karl, Niki, and Eret were discussing.. something. A rabbit, ferret-like creature, and groundhog looking thing hung around them. Hbomb was rocking the wipeout course, a barn owl perched on a post, watching. Fundy sulked in the shadows. 

There was more, Tommy was sure, but he’d rather not waste anymore time, he stumbled into the small opening. 

He was met with Techno’s crossbow, Boar standing firmly behind him. 

“Whadda doing here, Tommy?” The man in pink hair asked, only lowering his firearm slightly. 

“I need to speak to Wilbur. As in now.” Tommy stated urgently, Techno humming with uncertainty. 

“Tommy, I don’t think-“

“Technoblade.  _ Please. _ ” 

Whether it was a lack of a witty nickname, the tone in his voice, or a mixture of both, Techno lowered his crossbow, and the boar stepped aside. 

Tommy and Audax didn’t hesitate a moment. They were past the narrow hallway of an exit in moments.

A dark, long room awaited for him. Despite dream’s claims of only supplying half of the explosives he had, the stack seemed no different. A constant tweeting of a bird only added onto the madness of the room. Wilbur turned to him, eyes narrowed. 

“Why don’t you ever listen to me, Tommy?” He sighed, fiddling with a matchbox. 

“Wilbur. You need to hear me out-“

“Hear you out? You  _ never  _ listen to me, Tommy! No matter how many times I repeat myself, you still have your stubborn little mindset.” Wilbur spat, seemingly unaware of how Tommy interpreted those words. 

“I’m sorry- but please. I- what would Phil think, Wilbur?” Tommy pressed, trying to get over the fault in his voice. 

“Phil..?” There was a beat of silence. “He’d be proud of me.. I hope.” 

Tommy shook his head. “I don’t.. not with this, Wilbur. Phil- Dad, you know, dadza? We were a family, Wil. We were brothers.” He was fucking up his lines, but by the hesitation spread across Wilbur’s face, it was working. 

“Wilbur, we were brothers- we were the sleepy boys. What happened to that?” 

… 

There was silence, and Tommy only faintly seemed to hear Schlatt speaking his speech. 

“Can we go back to that, please? Just.. for some time. I know Phil is off doing his own thing—“ Audax seemed to lean against Tommy nervously, and Kithara only continued to call out horribly— “This- he wouldn’t be proud.” 

More silence, and the gruff voice of the president shifted to a much younger boy’s. 

Silently, Wilbur opened his arms. Tommy hesitated, until the older man took strides forward. He stifled a flinch as the open arms wrapped around him in a hug. 

Did- did he do it? Did he actually stop Wilbur from blowing shit up? A silence where bird calls used to fill seemed to give an answer. 

Tommy slowly returned the hug with his own arms, blinking back tears. He did it- they can continue being  _ normal.  _ There wouldn’t be any explosions, no sadistic future, no acts of terrorism. He did-

A cold metal blade met his back, causing a howl from Audax that drowned out Tommy’s own cry of pain. 

“Dream told me of your little situation, Tommy.” Wilbur’s voice was lined with a bitter toxin. 

“Seems like death is the only  _ escape. _ ” With emphasis on the last word, the metal dagger was pulled out of his back, leaving him to drop to the ground.

Tommy couldn’t recall when exactly he died, whether it was before he hit the ground, or minutes later. 

==o==

Tommy’s eyes flew open much slower, shocked. He felt like he could still trace the dagger in his back. 

In fact, when trying to inspect that area with his hand, he came face-to-face with a crimson red limb, lined delicately with feathers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still thinking of Spidbur, hence the reference at the very end.   
> Next loop pog :)


	31. Cardinal Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit the recent smp events.   
> Please note I wrote notes for this beforehand,, I-

He watched in slight wonder as the wings extended and contracted to his command, folding upon itself only to open again with a slight flutter. Bright red feathers towards the base of the wing turned to a deep crimson by the time they reached the tips. 

His iconic shirt had two holes, slits even, so the wings would be able to move freely. 

Tommy decided that enough was enough when he knocked over a flowerpot with his extra limbs. Wings folding upon themself, he slid out of the narrow entrance of the room- stone gently sliding over the feathers was an odd feeling. 

Lost in his head, Tommy felt a weird sense of emotional whiplash from betrayal and shock to fascination and wonder. 

There was a lack of coyotes, though. It almost felt off to not hear the pitter-pattering of paw steps echoing his own. 

A laugh that was too familiar caused his head to snap up. 

“Technomate, what is with you and your horses?” 

Green and white bucket hat covering blonde hair, not to forget the green undershirt followed by a dark gray robe. A normal elytra was replaced with wings that almost matched that design, a soft gray with white speckles. 

Tommy almost choked. Phil was here, Phil could help, right? 

He quickly scrambled his posture to be more natural. The reason why was uncertain, but if anybody could figure out his situation without him saying anything or witnessing anything, it would be Phil. Phil- good old Philza minecraft. Tommy didn’t know if he should be overjoyed or terrified. 

He continued to walk forward, Wilbur waving. “Tommy, just in time I’d say.” 

Wilbur and Techno also had wings, clearly that was the main idea of this loop. Wilbur’s was yellows towards the base, closer towards the shoulder blades. It was a quick transition to jet black feathers, however, with a thin line of white ones midway down. Techno’s was a hot pink, Tommy couldn’t say he was surprised. 

“You sleep alright, mate?” Phil asked him calmly as he joined them around their makeshift table. No chairs, but something to at least write on. 

“Yeah, yeah I did..” Tommy said plainly, despite it being a lie. Did tricking death count as sleep? 

Wilbur didn’t allow any more time for small talk, starting to talk about something Tommy had already heard before. 

“Tubbo’s intel was that there’s a speech today, I’d assume around noon. As long as we stay low, it’s probably best if we go. Is that alright, Phil?” 

Phil nodded, continuing. “It’s probably better if we  _ don’t  _ fly.. A lot of people will be there, you know? And unless we can fly low, the probability of us being spotted is too high. So, walking would be better.”

Tommy was silently relieved by this at his sudden notice that he didn’t know how to fly. The wings that were attached to his back were merely for decoration at the moment. The limbs in question twitched at the thought. 

“I’d say it's settled then, yeah? All four of us head to the tower.”

Tommy nodded idly, noticing Techno was included. This loop was either going to be really good or really awful. Who knows, maybe he could catch a break, or die trying. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup Philza Minecraft
> 
> I’ll start revealing who is what bird slowly- Tommy is based off of a Cardinal.


	32. Finch’s Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Techno’s wings are based off of flamingo’s and Wilbur’s is based off of an American Goldfinch! 
> 
> Shorter update today, I’ll explain why in end notes :)

Tommy really tried to be a part of the conversation on the way there. He’d chime in every once and a while, get lost in thoughts, and then chime in again with a totally random response. It was an odd cycle, but nobody seemed to be concerned with it.

His eyes seem to shift subconsciously to his side, only to see nothing. Bits of some sadness seemed to appear into his brain when that happened. He tried to focus more on the forest ahead of them. 

Phil was the wildcard this loop, forget the wings. Phil was going to be the deciding factor, and Tommy really just hoped it would be in favor of saving L’Manberg. 

“-Tommy?” 

Wait, shit. That was his name, and he had no clue what the fuck they were talking about. 

Almost instinctively, his reply was a blunt ‘yes,’ sending Wilbur cackling and Phil wheezing, both of their wings extending slightly. Tommy was pretty sure Techno rolled his eyes. 

As much as everything sucked at that moment, he couldn’t help but to smile. He had no clue what the question was about, and that was the art of it. Their laughs were normal, amused. Not crazed or with dark, underlying intentions. 

Tommy wanted to cling onto that moment, reflect the energy they were feeling. 

But that’d be clingy. He wasn’t going to be known as clingyinnit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh ok uh hi.
> 
> Basically I’ve been distracted recently and wanted to work on school shit. 
> 
> Also their streams  
> Holy fuck the streams.


	33. Peregrine Peek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so totally unrelated- If chat is voice’s in a character’s head, would having a song stuck in your head be the equivalent of a copypasta?

Tommy stared questionly at the tower, then towards the others. He knew what was coming next with unsure thoughts. 

With a bit of a running start, Phil leapt off the ground, beating his wings, and managed to catch enough air to land on the first base of the tower, Wilbur and Techno following behind. (Tommy noticed Phil’s wings seemed slightly more powerful than Techno’s and Wilbur’s, perhaps with experience?) 

They were angled in a way nobody could see them take flight, and Tommy cursed mentally for that. 

Ignoring the question glances, he walked inside of the tower, praying for a ladder. 

Thankfully there was, though he’d already assumed that everybody had wings, so it didn’t make too much sense. 

Eret didn’t make sense sometimes. 

“Are you alright, Tommy?” Wilbur questioned as he reached the second level of the tower. His tone was amused, and Tommy shrugged it off. 

“Man don’t feel like walkin.” 

Wilbur hinted a smile, turning to the speech that was starting. Tommy, despite experiencing enough stress that it might have well been years between the last time he heard this, tuned it out. 

It gave him the option to observe, anyways. Not like the color of everybody’s wings helped much, but who the hell cares. 

His eyes of course led to the podium first. Schlatt’s wings were folded against his side, but from what Tommy could tell, were white towards the base, and more and more brown was thrown into the mix the further away the feathers were. The feathers towards the tips of the fingers stretched further out from the rest- was the term fingered wings? 

Quackity’s wings were an iridescent black, nothing too interesting. Tubbo’s seemed green- maybe purple, with jet black feathers replacing the colorful ones as you moved down the wings. 

George seemed to just.. not show up. He was probably sleeping.

Tommy glanced at the crowd, a bit more color mixed in there, namely Eret’s, Karl’s, and Fundy’s. Eret’s wings were a vibrant orange on one side, and a vibrant blue-green on the other. Karl’s was a deep, shiny purple fading to an iridescent black. (His wings seemed much thinner, too. They seemed to twitch constantly, despite being folded against his back.) Fundy’s were orange by the base, were quickly replaced by black, and had white speckles on the back of the wing. 

His eyes soon turned to others, Niki, Skeppy, and Bad. 

Niki’s wings were a soft white inside, fading to a dark brown towards the edges. On the back of the wings, each individual brown feather seemed to have a white outline. Bad’s had an off-grey color with black outlines, with a weird rust-red strip of color on the lower part of his wings. Skeppy’s were a simple tan-brown fading into a darker brown. 

Maybe. He was quickly snapped back to his own position as the speech had ended. His eyes instantly jumped to Wilbur, uncertain, before he scaled down the ladder. 

His break had ended, it was time to actually go through fucking hell, again. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have tiktok look at me go- @temperatem tag me in anything related to this fic please :)
> 
> Also Phil is based off a peregrine but idk how well I got it.


	34. Sandpiper Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel like my pacing is off, damn.

Tall trees loomed overhead as they walked.

Tommy waited for the words. The same words that, everytime, threw everything off balance. Wilbur’s words that made him choose his own carefully. 

Silence met him, silence from the three, though awkward. Surprisingly, it was Phil who broke the silence, tense but not.. plotting. 

“Well.. that’s interesting.” It was more of a conversation starter. To Tommy’s surprise, Wilbur didn’t even speak up then, and it took a moment for Tommy to notice he should probably reply.

“Yeah- That’s.. They’re gloating, right?” It wasn’t much of a contribution, but his focus was on Wilbur, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, and an odd sense of panic rose from the teen’s chest. He counted on Wilbur to speak up, that’s how he could see how fucked he was this loop. 

“Yup, They’re definitely rubbing in the victory there.” Phil nodded, climbing over a hill, wings opening up slightly for balance. It took him a moment, but the man in the bucket hat scoffed slightly, muttering under his breath. What it was, Tommy couldn’t catch. 

Wilbur was still eerily silent as Techno trudged along, Tommy could assume he was either thinking about Potatoes, Horses, or World domination. The blade just worked like that sometimes. 

Tommy found his own wings expanding instinctively to remain balanced in the rougher bits of terrain. 

The entrance to Pogtopia was coming into view, and the nervous feeling only grew throughout his chest. Wilbur had to say something- right? He couldn’t just get off free.. the absorbed look on his face told him this could quite possibly be a dangerous situation.

“Hey- I know you all might be tired, but it might be a good idea to talk about what to do next before sleeping?” Phil called back, more of a suggestion than a command. Tommy caught Wilbur’s expression breaking to focus on Phil. Tommy nodded wordlessly, pulling his eyes to his feet.

All four of them entered the ravine, wings pressed closely to their backs to avoid getting feathers caught on jagged stones. 

The four of them gathered just in front of Techno’s farm, Wilbur partially leaning against a stone wall. Tommy bitterly realized he was more attentive to Wilbur’s actions than his own. 

Phil started the planning, himself aware of his untalkative boys. 

“We have.. what, almost three days to figure out what we want to do? Unless anybody has any suggestions now, sleeping on it wouldn’t be a bad idea..” 

Tommy nodded again, Wilbur still silent. 

Phil hummed slightly at the silence. “Get some rest, then..” 

And so they all split to what Tommy could assume was separate caves and cubbies that they slept in. Phil took off, wings expertly moving to not only carry him up in the still air, but avoid any contact with the cavern’s walls. 

Tommy was unsure if he felt jealousy or amazement. 

==o==

Sleep was hard. 

Tommy made the horrible realization that his actions were based off of Wilbur’s. What was he supposed to do when the man just stood there? 

Sleep was also hard due to the large, red wings making it hard to find a comfortable position. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl is a Hummingbird,   
> Niki is a Sandpiper!


	35. Duck’s Dread

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another shameless discord plug, same server but I’ll probably do this every ten chapters. We’re all pretty pog, and whether you’re a writer, reader, or artist, there’s a place for you!   
> https://discord.gg/zuFyEzxC

Fire- smoke. Burning passions, gentle hugs-

The pain in a canine’s bowl. 

Tommy woke up in a cold sweat, shivering slightly. He bit back tears- Tommyinnit didn’t cry. He did get haunted by traumatic dreams, however. He forced his breath to steady, feeling feathers relax against his side. 

He was going to figure it out. 

Would he figure it out?

… He had to figure this out. Tommy wasn’t a fool, and only fools had (practically) unlimited tries to solve a problem. 

His breath was steadying, but he still found himself shaky. His mind wandered slightly.. 

What was death like? Not death as in looping, but true death, no return. Was it the comforting darkness he faintly remembered between loops, or was there really an afterlife? 

Wait- shit. He needed to stop getting distracted. His mind seemed to wander more and more recently. 

Throwing the sheets to the side, he put himself together as best as he could. (With limited resources and a delicate set of wings, it certainly wasn’t the easiest, or the best he’d ever felt.) 

Tommy strode out into the ravine, idly spreading his wings larger to take up some of the space. Clearly, he didn’t quite understand their reach and not-so quietly Uddered a string of curses when a ragged outcropping tugged at the feathers. (He lost a few in the process. He hoped they weren’t important.) 

He decided that his wings would permanently rest to his side unless he figured out how the hell to control them. 

It wasn’t until now until he noticed the ravine was empty. Truly empty, there wasn’t an idle snore or pacing footsteps. 

Tommy expected Techno to be gone, that just happens sometimes. The blade has secrets he keeps, and ones he is almost certain he doesn’t need to know. 

Tommy had secrets too. Well, a secret. He hadn’t told anybody yet. Did he want to explain what the fuck a timeloop was for a third time? (Especially after the last two..?) 

He glanced around for Wilbur, or even Phil. He wasn’t too worried about Phil, quite honestly. Wilbur though.. with the silent plotting or some shit-

Was Wilbur plotting? Tommy could dance around death, but he couldn’t read minds. A startling realization tapped into his brain. If he was going to get help from Phil.. would he have evidence? If Wilbur didn’t say shit, Phil may not believe him. 

The mass murder of a country was more of a Techno thing, after all. Wilbur, the old Wilbur, sang sad songs, was a geography nerd, and maybe half as chaotic as current Wilbur. 

Phil wasn’t going to believe him. Tommy had no evidence, no way to display memories. 

_ Shit.  _

He needed to find Wilbur, catch him in the act. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BBH is a Northern Pintail Duck   
> Skeppy is a Canadian Goose.


	36. Kingfisher’s Keep

According to past experiences, Wilbur  _ should  _ be talking to Dream. As Tommy exited, however, neither of the two were there. 

Wilbur was smart. Phil would tell him off if he knew. Phil might be the only person Wilbur truly listens to. 

It left Tommy in an odd position though. Was he supposed to go looking for Wil? Looking for Phil? Gather his shit up and figure out a structured plan? 

Tommy gritted his teeth. Plans were essential, but he hated them. Even before looping, if he had an idea, Tommy would leap at it with zero hesitation or strategy. The last two plans, whether it was his or somebody else’s, ended up with him dying. Plans were shit. He wasn’t going to waste time planning. 

If he’d find Phil, then what? Listen to his rambles about his old wisdom, coming from his senile age? (That was supposed to lighten his own mood. The joke, despite it being within his own head, turned sour.) 

He needed to find Wilbur, catch him in the act. Where he was, that was the hard part. Wilbur could literally be anywhere, from DreamSMP to some random forest miles away. Grudgingly, Tommy walked back towards Manberg. Considering his chances, he highly doubted that he’d find him there, but maybe he could find something else that could help him..

Tommy was really grasping at straws here. He almost broke out in a run, but the idea of getting his wings caught twice in one day seemed pitiful. 

Actually, there was a lack of birdsong within the forest. Perhaps not the most useful information. 

He did, however, reflect on what had worked before. When he thought about it, there wasn’t much. Even as his mind wandered back to the first loop, the first time he saw the large heaps of explosives and smelt the mixture of sulfur and earth, he could only find one string of information that would have helped. 

The first loop, Wilbur didn’t want to kill Tommy immediately. He didn't seem to hesitate the other times though. Why was that?

He felt like he’d never get the answer. 

The tall stone tower came into view, and Tommy climbed onto the second level to get a clear view of Manberg below.

He was looking for a green hoodie or worn trench coat. He scanned the area, but saw nobody, actually. Everybody seemed to be inside. 

Well, he  _ thought  _ everybody was inside or away, but sudden wingbeats coming towards his direction had his stomach drop like a rock. 

A pair of blue and orange wings obscured his gaze before he could even attempt to run. Tommy swallowed hard as he looked at the man, roughly his height, in front of him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eret is a Kingfisher :)


	37. Swallow’s Seek

Eret, Tommy instantly recognized the unique wings. The younger stood defensively, scanning the other figure. 

“Tommy.. what are you doing in my tower?” 

Tommy clenched his hand into a fist, tensing up. It took some real self-control to not punch the traitor.

Was he a traitor? Eret had helped him before, or, a different Eret had tried to help him. Still standing in silence, Tommy caught sight of a glint of a crown.

Still a traitor.. But..

“Tommy? Hello?” Eret’s voice was less assertive and more confused by his silence. Tommy pulled himself out of his defensive stance, standing tall despite his usual posture. 

“I was just.. Looking. Yeah..”

Eret was clearly even more confused from that. 

“You’re looking.. On Manberg land.. For what?” 

Oh shit, he was on enemy territory, wasn't he? His crimson wings opened up slightly. Tommy had no intention of flying— he didn’t know how— but that was beyond Eret’s knowledge. 

“Why do you want to know?” Tommy slightly challenged back. 

Eret paused. 

“I’m not going to rat you out, I was just curious.” 

Tommy narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking in his head. On one hand, Eret had helped him before, or tried too, in a different loop. On the other, this Eret still wore a crown, one he could only assume that came from blood, including Tommy’s own. While he was still bitter, it was proven that he wasn’t entirely a bad person. 

Eret probably wouldn’t rat him out, but he shouldn’t include him entirely. 

“I was looking for somebody, alright?” Tommy answered. It wasn’t a lie, but still felt bitter like one. 

Another idea struck him. Before Eret could respond, Tommy continued. 

“Tubbo trusts you, right?” When Eret nodded, Tommy carried on, cutting off any more responses. He really didn’t want to be questioned, or waste more time. 

“Can you tell him something? Tell Tubbo it was from me, alright? Tell him to be careful during the festival. Tell Tubbo to be ready to run, just in case.” 

Eret’s face turned into a mixture of confusion and concern, but before any questions could pop up, Tommy made his way down the latter, well aware of the added confusion in Eret’s gaze. 

If Eret told other people, that was fine. As long as Tubbo would be safe, that was what matters. 

The sun was already beginning to lower, and he’d yet to find Wilbur. He was wasting time, but hopefully he earned some more, even if he had to put his trust on a former traitor. 

This whole thing was fucked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo is a Violet-green Swallow.


	38. Flock’s return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow updates, finals are coming up. Chapter is short just bc I want to keep this somewhat updated..

“Tommy, mate, where the fuck were you?” Phil questioned the mere second Tommy entered his sight. The blond in question groaned, already deciding that the truth was probably not the best idea. Phil wasn’t having it, though. He continued his scolding with wings outstretched from frustration. 

“I leave for maybe twenty minutes, and return to all three of you gone. In the middle of being wanted refugees, mind you! You could have been captured-“ 

“I went mining.” It was a bland, obvious lie, but it got Phil to shut up for a second. Besides, it got the suspension that he met a (probably) ex-traitor while trying to find an eerily silent brother-figure. While on enemy lands, that part was important too. 

“You don’t even have a pickaxe, or any resources on you.” Phil stated, his tone calmer than before. To his annoyance, Tommy just shrugged. He could hear a sarcastic scoff from around one of the stone corners, probably Techno’s. Which meant..

“You didn’t happen to see Wilbur then, did you? I assumed he was with you, but  _ clearly  _ he’s not..” Phil scanned Tommy, probably still looking for smudges of coal or red stone. 

As if on cue, a tall british man stumbled into the ravine, almost falling off the thin steps and bridges on the way down. Phil quickly shifted his focus, and Tommy wasted no time at all to get away. 

He could hear Phil questioning Wilbur as he quickly made his way to his little cave-room thing. Sleep was probably the most logical option of what to do next. He didn’t exactly have evidence or a plan, and Wilbur was already back. Might keep Phil from asking him more questions, anyways. 

Tommy swore that Tomorrow he’d actually do something important or note-worthy. Was that even what he was supposed to do? Why couldn’t this dumb loop happen the summer before L’manberg, or even the period before the election, where he could actually enjoy his time? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quackity is a common grackle.


	39. Falcon’s Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kind words on the Author’s note <3

_ Falling. Tommy was falling but he couldn’t see anything. An abyss of black laid beyond him as he fell in.. what direction exactly? How far below was the ground?  _

_ Every second was another strike of anxiety as he braced himself for an impact, any impact at all. The longer he fell for, the more pain he expected. He wasn’t going to let himself be caught off-guard. The moment he relaxed was the moment he would hit the ground, feeling immense amounts of pain, if not the release of death.  _

_ He was faintly aware of his silent screams, and an odd feeling, sourcing from between his shoulder blades. It wasn’t a true feeling, like pain or numbness, but a concept. A concept that he had what it took, he had the resources and skill to save himself.. but it was locked away, somehow.  _

==o==

Tommy jolted awake suddenly, a sickening  _ thump  _ echoing distantly in his ears. His wings extended quickly, one hitting the wall. Delicate pain shot throughout the wing and onto his back, and Tommy stifled a yelp. 

He didn’t actually fall, it was another nightmare. He was in his rickety bed. He could see- he could count the fingers in front of him. He needed to steady his breath, get ahold of himself. It was an odd nightmare. There were no traumatic sights, no spine-chilling noises. It was just.. falling. Falling and feeling, pretty much. 

Tommy needed to get a grip on himself. While he needed, desperately needed to follow Wilbur today, but didn’t want to look like he was unstable. Not that he was. He would never be unstable- Wilbur was currently the definition of unstable. (Was he? He has been pretty quiet this loop.) 

His eyes turned to his wings, slightly folded as a reflex from the pain. Upon a further look they too seemed to be in a debatable condition. 

After a few more breaths, Tommy called his current facial display ‘good enough’ and decided it was probably best to truly start the day. As in, don’t let Wilbur out of his sight, he needed  _ some  _ proof. 

His footsteps echoed throughout the looming stones walls, walls he really wanted to punch into oblivion. Why did they choose to live underground again? For fucks sake, why did they choose to live underground when they bore  _ wings?  _

__ “-ould be back by sundown this time.” Tommy could hear Phil from down the ravine. He turned a slight corner to see everybody else standing under the collection of bridges and stairs that led up towards the surface. He saw Wilbur nod, wings folding tighter against his back. 

“Yeah, I’ll be back by then. Lost track of time last night, that’s all.” 

Phil scoffed quietly to himself, Tommy now joining the rest. Techno had a large pack, and Phil seemed to sling one over his own shoulder. A waft of carrots and wheat floated toward Tommy. 

“Tommy, mate!” Phil finally noticed his appearance. “I have to help Techno today, we made a plan last night, you went to sleep. Uh- Wilbur can fill you in, is that alright?” His gaze turned towards Wilbur, who only shrugged. 

Phil was soon gone in a hurry of footsteps. Tommy felt a little bitter, why was he leaving in a rush? (Why did it matter so much?) 

“Alright, so- basically we’re just watching.” Wilbur explained quickly, making Tommy quirk a brow. The taller man shrugged again- why was he shrugging so much? Wilbur continued in Tommy’s uncertain silence, “Phil decided that since we’re not directly involved, and probably very undergeared and outnumbered, it would be better to just watch. If things do go south, we will intervene. I agreed, and Techno agreed under the condition that he can do whatever his anarchist heart desires if things do go south.” 

That was immediately suspicious to Tommy, he’s seen this day three times already, and Techno had somewhat sided with Wilbur all three times. Tommy desperately wanted to accuse Wilbur, maybe punch him again, but decided to play it cool. He still needed proof, right? There wasn’t any proof. 

A moment of fear struggled through Tommy. If he did catch Wilbur digging out suspicious caverns, moving explosives, or talking to the enemy, how could he show his proof? It wasn’t like he had any type of recorder, be it sound or audio, they lived under a fucking rock. They would have to take Tommy’s word— They had to. 

Wilbur started walking towards the exit. If he had said something, Tommy had missed it. He was quick to follow, however. Wil noticed this, and turned. 

“Are you following me?” 

“No.” It was an obvious lie, but was he supposed to say yes? 

Wilbur started to walk carefully backwards, almost entertained as he kept his eyes on Tommy. Once he was out of view, Tommy began to follow him again, only to be caught by Wilbur waiting for him. 

“You’re following me. Why are you following me?” Wilbur questioned. 

“.. Because, Bitch.” Tommy stated, loud and blunt. Wilbur sighed in slight defeat, before continuing on his way out. The blond felt slightly better by his success. 

Or, before they got into the open air. Wilbur promptly took off, leaving Tommy behind. He should have expected this, quite honestly. A branch not too far off bounced slightly. 

He could hear Wilbur’s taunt before spotting his figure soaring through the sky again, “Giving up already, are we?” 

Tommy began to walk, slightly glumly, in the general direction that Wilbur flew off in. 

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream is based off a Gryfalcon, Sapnap is based off of a Raven.


	40. Observing Osprey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I’m not dead just tired  
> Also 40 chapters pog

It would be a lie for Tommy to say he didn’t know he was walking towards Manberg. It would also be a lie if he said he didn’t attempt on flying several times along the way. Beforehand he could blame it on a bad day he was having, but not flying now would be concerning, right? 

Actually, how many days has it been since he was introduced to this shit? Each official loop seemed to be a little less than five days, depending if you counted doomsday each time. (Tommy counted it, the stress within those days were enough to last him years.) With the three times he had to deal with Wilbur, plus this loop so far.. was it roughly seventeen days? His far too quick calculations said so. That was two straight weeks, feeling like a month, with enough tension and violence to last him years. 

Anyways, Tommy sighed slightly, haunting his pace. His run started off more of a jog, then a full-out sprint. He could feel the wind tugging at some feathers already as the crimson limbs expanded as far as they could in the wooded area. Tommy sprung up off the ground half-heartedly. One beat of his wings followed another, his feet kicking out wildly, not making contact with the ground- 

Tommy tumbled back onto the forest floor, wings tucking against his back. Roots and stones made his fall uncomfortable, but the worst damage was perhaps a scraped knee or a bruise on his arm. While it was some sort of progress, Tommy reminded himself that he was supposed to be finding Wilbur, and his self-taught lessons were put on hold. 

Walking in silence was odd and made him antsy. If Tommy didn’t want to focus on his thoughts, there would be some sort of sound to dull his mind instead. However, the uneven crunches of leaves and twigs underfoot didn’t help, and the birds lacked song- was there even birds? 

A tall, stone tower loomed in the distance. Tommy hated everything it stood for, and then some at this point. However, if history was going to repeat itself, again, then he was going in the right direction. 

A rustle in the trees followed by light wing beats was the only short warning Tommy had before he was shoved to the ground. 

“What are you doing here?” The voice was cold, but not unfamiliar. Tommy wiped dirt out of his eyes, glaring up at Wilbur. 

“Maybe I should ask the same thing to you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Schlatt is an osprey.


	41. False Songbird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skipped a Friday upload for Christmas, Happy (late) holidays to everybody.

They both stood in slight silence, expecting a response from the other. The difference of their expectation and will was reflected in their stance. Wilbur loomed over Tommy, wings spread out widely, accusingly, even. The pair of eyes that stared back at the younger were harsh, but not unfamiliar. Tommy, on the other hand, remained on the ground, wings uncomfortably pinned between the forest floor and his back. He didn’t dare to move, a small, recently found instinct driven by fear now influencing his movements, and reflecting in his eyes. 

There was a bitter sigh from Wilbur, who broke the silence through gritted teeth, “Fine, let me rephrase. Why are you following me, especially on foot?” 

The fire within Tommy finally broke the restraining thread of fear. “Why does it fucking matter that I’m on foot?” He snapped, and while not getting to his feet, pulled his body off the ground just enough to expand crimson wings. 

“You’re not very slick, Tommy.” 

“Neither are you.” 

The response came a little too quickly. Something flashed in Wilbur’s eyes, and Tommy finally got to his feet, not caring to wipe dirt from his trousers. The meaning behind his words hit him far too late, only mere milliseconds before Wilbur continued their debate that was gaining heat. 

“What do you mean by that?” The words were challenging, holding weight. Tommy had two options. 

Play reckless, or play dumb. Tommy could play reckless. He could surprise and stun Wilbur with this knowledge he had, put all the cards on the table, maybe make a few up as well. However, Wilbur had proven himself as a dangerous individual with little to no hesitation. For the sake of his own life, Tommy decided to play dumb. 

(Was he supposed to care about his life in this situation? The obvious answer was yes, but it seemed to scream back at him muffled.) 

“Well, I mean, you keep walking off and not telling anybody-“

“So do you.” 

Silence, and in a burst of annoyance, Wilbur grabbed Tommy’s arm. 

For moments, out of fear and desperation, Tommy struggled against his grasp, wings flailing. Despite his pulls and tugs and swears, Wilbur’s grip only got tighter. Eventually, when Tommy had worn himself out, the forest seemed to still, other than his heavy breaths. 

“Stop following me.” Wilbur said through gritted teeth, each word holding its own weight. 

Almost as soon as Wilbur let go of his arm, he took off, songbird wings beating against the gentle breeze. 

Tommy stood, dumbfounded and slightly fearful, holding his arm gently by his side. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters will get longer I swear.


	42. Rivaling Reflections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot today is Monday   
> Anyways filler chapter, I swear actual plot will happen towards the end

Instinct. 

Tommy had reacted on instinct. He’d flailed and screamed out of a gut feeling that formed based off of past experiences. 

Tommy had reacted on Instinct, a word that he, and probably others, would compare to animals- survival of the fittest type deal. He really wanted to blame the wings- they were based off of birds, right? 

He knew that was false. He wasn’t a bird- the wings were more of an add-on.. right?

As the sun set, despite his time alone reflecting, his brain wasn’t done. Tommy may have been walking back to Pogtopia alone, but he wasn’t walking back in silence. His mind ate at his soul as his wings flexed in and out.

A month ago Tommy looked up to Wilbur, with the common bickers. A month ago, They were considered brothers to the naked eye, but perhaps not by blood. Now, they seemed to be sworn enemies on far too many universes- timelines? Fuck. 

Were his priorities straight? Was he supposed to be saving L’manberg? What if, instead of fighting against the mass destruction, he was supposed to find a way to break the cycle? It was some sort of cursed immortality. God, why couldn’t this all happen before the election, where everything was at least decent? 

Perhaps Tommy missed talking to someone. Perhaps truly talking to somebody, not one who was going to blow up a nation, has their mind set on blood, or one that may be spying for you or against you. Phil.. maybe Phil. 

The walk home had to be dusty. Tommyinnit doesn’t cry. Nonetheless, tears were hazing his view as he walked back. He wanted to go back. He wanted to go back in time  _ so bad _ . 

Tommy wanted many things. 

…

It was just before dusk when Tommy finally finished his thoughtful walk back. His footsteps echoed down the Pogtopia entrance, bridges creaking quietly against his weight. Nobody was underground. (Shit, Tommy literally lived under a rock.) 

It was fine, Tommy could try to sleep. Probably not well, but he could attempt some sort of rest, something to clear his mind. 

The concern that he failed this loop was much more prominent than before. If Tommy was cracking under the pressure now, then he doesn’t want to know what he was now. Why was all of his situation just now settling on him?

The bed was comfy, but Tommy felt.. disconnected.


	43. Plumed Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fucking filler chapter I’m so fucking done with these filler chapters why didn’t I take more notes I fucking-
> 
> Final filler chapter, next chapter is the big one and then we get the better stuff

Tommy woke in a cold sweat. Despite his hour or so of sleep, he felt even worse than before. He couldn’t even remember what his nightmare was. Tommy was sick of it. He needed to be brave, right? He needed to improve.. Right?

His wings twitched against his side. His heart began to steady. Realization sunk in. 

… He had one day. Tommy had one day, from previous patterns, to figure something out. Tommy also had one pretty angry Wilbur, too. One who wanted to be alone, or silent. If Tommy were to tattle, he would have no proof. If he would try to get proof, he could die.. Again. 

He couldn’t stay in his room for much longer. It seemed to be a safe spot, but you could never hide forever. 

Conversations spread through the ravine. Tommy was careful of his footing- why was he careful with his footing? He never cared beforehand

“-ince we’re just spectating, should we- Tommy, you’re awake!” Wilbur greeted him, seemingly forgetting yesterday’s events. His tone wasn’t cold, his eyes weren’t judging. Hell, he even smiled. 

There was something Tommy didn’t enjoy in that smile. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but he had every reason to be. Right?

… Right? 

Phil greeted him with a “Morning, mate,” and Techno hit him with an acknowledging nod. This was normal- this felt normal, at least. The wings on his back, Phil being here, this fucking situation? Not normal, but the greeting didn’t feel foreign. It didn’t feel homely, either. 

“We're just about to discuss a plan for tomorrow, care to join us?” Wilbur invited, and red flags arose immediately.

Wilbur’s plans seemed to end in fire and destruction. He’d never been invited to them, and still, paranoia flared up instead of him. 

This.. could help him though.

Trying not to show his reluctant mindset, Tommy nodded. “I mean- sure.” 

And so they planned. It started off normal, a recap of what had happened. It was the same thing- The election, Tubbo staying behind and spying, the plans for a festival.. 

And then.. it was still normal. Or, perhaps peaceful would be a better word. Phil explained how they should lurk, no need to endanger their lives. Wilbur, throughout all of this, seemed to say the bare minimum to participate. (So did Tommy, but  _ he  _ wasn’t the one who blew up a nation, probably multiple times.) 

“Well, we still have to settle on the location-“ Phil started, 

“The office building?” Wilbur cut him off. It was, perhaps a bit too sudden, turning the three other heads in their little discussion area, by the chests and stairs. This sent Wilbur reeling to explain himself. 

“I mean, the tower is great and all, but it would also be a prime viewing point. A great view of the festival, the building next to it would be nice.. is it an office?” 

Phil began to talk, but Tommy zoned out. 

Wilbur seemed so.. defensive. Other than then and the time in the woods, he never showed any clues, hints, anything. He was probably trying to hide his actions, but how did he have time for.. anything? 

The little carved-out room was under the tower. Why would he be so defensive? 

Tommy’s head began to spin. His opinion flicked to “There’s no solid proof!” To “Everything is going to be gone, tomorrow.  _ Again _ .” 

Phil’s clap shocked him back to the conversation. “Then it’s settled. We’ll go with Wilbur’s location- whatever the fuck you call that building.” 

Oh..  _ no.  _

The rest day seemed to blur around Tommy. It didn’t matter how he spent it. If Wilbur had intentions, they were doomed. Wilbur had to have intentions, right?

What was that confrontation in the woods? Wilbur didn’t want him snooping around. Thousands of other “what if’s” flooded his brain. 

It didn’t matter. His next conclusion didn’t matter, he was doomed, wasn’t he? He was in the fate of Wilbur, who seemed to lack mercy before. 

He only noticed how late it was when Tommy went for fresh air, only to come face-to-face with a pitch dark forest, filling the ambiance with crickets and the breeze. It would be calming, but Tommy was technically in a life-or-death situation. 

Sleep was odd that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is delayed bc an amazing person on discord was very engaging and I needed to bash some confidence into their brain
> 
> If that’s you and you’re reading this.. :eyes:

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave a comment!


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